Prof Rohini M. Godbole and Prof Sharada Srinivasan, two Bengaluru-based scientists, were among those conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award announced yesterday by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Prof Rohini Godbole is a Professor at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science. Prof Sharada Srinivasan is a Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru.
The Padma awards namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are one of the highest civilian honours in the country awarded for notable contributions in various disciplines. These awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day and are conferred by the President of India with a certificate signed by the President and a medallion. This year, 94 persons have received the Padma Shri for their ‘distinguished service’ in respective fields.
Prof Rohini Godbole is a particle physicist best known for her work at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Her work on high energy photons could form the basis for the next generation of particle colliders, used to study the fabric and composition of the Universe. She is a part of the International Detector Advisory Group for the International Linear Collider (ILC) at CERN, which monitors the design and working of the ILC detector. For the past three decades, her work has resulted in more than 300 research publications. She is a member of the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel, USA, and a recipient of many national and international awards, besides being the fellow of all three prestigious science academies in India.
Prof Godbole is also the Chairperson of the ‘Panel for Women in Science’ initiative of the Indian Academy of Sciences. She is very vocal about gender equity in scientific careers and has jointly edited the book Lilavati’s Daughters, a biographical essay collection on Indian women scientists. She is also a renowned science communicator who enjoys talking about physics and delivering talks to students, researchers and scientists.
Prof Sharada Srinivasan is a renowned archaeologist who specialises in the scientific study of art, archaeology, archaeometallurgy, and culture. Her significant contributions include archaeometric characterisation of bronzes using lead isotope analysis and archaeometallurgical studies on ancient mining and metallurgy in southern India. Research Matters has previously covered her work on the disappearing ancient Indian metallurgical traditions, the sophisticated high-tin bronze metallurgy in the Iron Age from Tamil Nadu and the usefulness of lead isotope ratio and compositional analysis in fingerprinting and studying the art history of sculptures.
Prof Srinivasan is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and World Academy of Art and Science. She is also a recipient of the Dr Kalpana Chawla State Award for Women Scientists 2011, besides many national and international recognitions. She is also an acclaimed performer of Bharatanatyam.
We wish them both hearty congratulations!