Bibha Chowdhuri: The Beam of Light that Lit the Path for Women in Indian Science
Important Question For All Chapters – English Poorvi Class 8th
1. Who was Bibha Chowdhuri?
Answer: Bibha Chowdhuri was India’s first woman physicist who worked in the field of cosmic rays and particle physics.
2. When and where was Bibha Chowdhuri born?
Answer: She was born in 1913 in Kolkata, during pre-independent India.
3. Why is Bibha Chowdhuri called a “beam of light”?
Answer: She is called a “beam of light” because she defied odds, broke barriers in science, and lit a path for women to follow.
4. What subject did Bibha Chowdhuri study at Bose Institute?
Answer: She studied high-energy particle physics at Bose Institute.
5. Where did Bibha Chowdhuri pursue her Ph.D. and under whose guidance?
Answer: In 1945, she joined the University of Manchester under the guidance of Nobel Laureate Patrick M.S. Blackett.
6. What was the topic of her Ph.D. thesis?
Answer: Her Ph.D. thesis was on cosmic rays.
7. How did newspapers describe Bibha Chowdhuri during her Ph.D. days?
Answer: They introduced her as “India’s New Woman Scientist – She has an eye for Cosmic Rays.”
8. What was Bibha Chowdhuri’s notable scientific contribution?
Answer: Her most notable contribution was the discovery of pi-mesons (π-mesons), a subatomic particle.
9. Who nominated Bibha Chowdhuri for the Nobel Prize and when?
Answer: Erwin Schrödinger nominated her for the Nobel Prize in 1950.
10. Which institute did Bibha Chowdhuri join as the first woman faculty member?
Answer: In 1949, she became the first woman faculty member at TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), chosen by Homi J. Bhabha.
11. Name two other research institutes where Bibha Chowdhuri worked.
Answer: She worked at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata.
12. Under whose mentorship did Bibha continue her research in India?
Answer: She worked under the mentorship of Vikram Sarabhai at the Physical Research Laboratory.
13. Did Bibha Chowdhuri receive any awards during her lifetime?
Answer: No, she never received any awards during her lifetime.
14. When did Bibha Chowdhuri pass away?
Answer: She passed away in 1991.
15. How was Bibha Chowdhuri honoured posthumously in 2019?
Answer: In 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) renamed a star in the Leo constellation (HD 86081) as “Bibha”, meaning beam of light.
16. What step did the Government of India take in 2020 to honour her?
Answer: In 2020, the Government of India declared a Chair Professorship in her name.
17. Who is known as the “Rocket Woman of India” and what missions did she lead?
Answer: Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava is called the “Rocket Woman of India.” She played a key role in ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission and leadership in Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3.
18. How many women contributed to Chandrayaan-3?
Answer: Over 50 women scientists contributed to Chandrayaan-3.
19. What qualities of Bibha Chowdhuri are highlighted in the text?
Answer: Her life was an example of tenacity, brilliance, and quiet determination.
20. Why is Bibha Chowdhuri referred to as a “beacon”?
Answer: She is called a “beacon” because she became a guiding light and inspiration for future generations of women in science.
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