Abstract: -
Prof. Steven Weinberg, one of the greatest theoretical physicists of this century, passed away recently. This talk will try to give a glimpse of the vast canvas of theoretical physics to which he contributed, starting from his ideas on unification of electromagnetic and weak interactions to applications of particle physics to Astrophysics and Cosmology. He taught almost to the end of his life and influenced and trained generations of students, not just through his lectures but also through his excellent textbooks. He shared his knowledge and perspective of science through popular books and lectures. He leaves a very rich legacy behind. I would like to present glimpses of these aspects of his personality and achievements.
About the Speaker: -
Prof. Rohini M. Godbole, currently at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, is a theoretical particle physicist who has authored over 300 research papers during the last four decades, having worked at various Universities in India, Europe and the USA including CERN, Geneva. Her pioneering work on probing hadronic interactions of photons at colliders, provided important insights for the designs of electron-positron colliders. For four decades she has been working in various areas of particle physics, mainly concentrating on theoretical aspects of studies at high energy particle colliders. Elected to the fellowship of all the three science academies of India and of The World Academy of Science (TWAS), she is also a recipient of many science awards, and of Padmashree, the fourth highest civilian honour of the Government of India. A founder chairperson of the women in science (WiS) panel of the Indian Academy of science, she has worked on many national/ international committees to facilitate effective participation of women in science. She coedited the widely acclaimed 2008 book ‘Lilavati’s Daughter: Women Scientists of India’ (like the ‘She Speaks’ of the Royal Society). Pioneering surveys conducted under her leadership to determine the cause of the drop out of science after a Ph.D. have provided some interesting insights on the issue of women in science.
