Sanjana Bhoopathi

Physicists
Women
Science
World changers
Astrophysics
Feminism
Discrimination
Inspiration
Nobel Prize
Discoveries
War times
Resources
Justice

Between 1913 and 1980s human kind saw more than one war: World War, Cold War, the Indian Independence Struggle. And in 1942 when World War II was taking the world by storm, one scientist made a discovery that her colleague and her never got real credit for.

Discover how the times buried her talent, her discoveries and what finally made us uncover the truth as you scroll!

Bibha Chowdhuri

'50

Space Race, Cold War, Korean War and more unrest

The Space Race ignited with the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik. Theoretical particle physics blossomed with the development of the Standard Model, laying the groundwork for our understanding of fundamental forces. The Korean War and the Cold War intensified global tensions.

What was Biba upto? She was back in India, working with TIFR

'45

End of the world war, freedom and more.

A year of immense change. World War II ended with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. India gained independence after decades of struggle. The United Nations was founded to foster international cooperation. In physics, the discovery of cloud chambers revolutionized particle research.

What was Biba Upto? She moved to Manhatan to get her PhD!

'42

World War II,

World War II raged. The Manhattan Project, a secret US endeavor, accelerated. Fears of a Nazi atomic bomb spurred frantic research, lead by J. Robert Oppenheimer . The nuclear age loomed, promising both power and unprecedented destruction.

What was Biba upto? She was working with D M Bose, on what? you'll find out soon!

'36

The Rise of the Nazis and the discovery of Neuclear Fission

India battled the colonial rule, sexism was on a high, and female education was on a high. Meanwhile in Germany, the Nazis were on the Rise, and the Neuclear Fission had just been discovered by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in '38.

What was Biba upto? She was doing her MSc at the University of Calcutta, where she was the only woman in her class

'36

The Rise of the Nazis and the discovery of Neuclear Fission

What was Biba upto? She was doing her MSc at the University of Calcutta, where she was the only woman in her class

'36

The Rise of the Nazis and the discovery of Neuclear Fission

What was Biba upto? She was doing her MSc at the University of Calcutta, where she was the only woman in her class

Say hello to
Bibha Chowdhuri

and all her FIRSTS

Staring all the way in 1913

Bibha loved science when science didn’t quite love her back — at least not yet

Only girl in school and college!

she didn’t stop there — she studied science at Scottish Church College and then physics at the University of Calcutta.

That’s like going from level 1 to level 10 on your first try!

Working with D M Bose on Mesons

She used photographic nuclear emulsion to become the first to detect and identify mesons

Learn more

Only woman on the project

She moved to England and joined the University of Manchester, where she worked with another big-name scientist: Patrick Blackett

The project was about cosmic rays! Think: micro fireworks of physics.

What's a cosmic ray anyway?

Heard of KGF? She worked on a machine for them!

After England, Bibha came back to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

They worked to figure out how to identify metal particles easier during mining. And guess what? She was the only woman on the team.

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

Notice how you've been going horizontally this whole time?

That's becasue no matter what Biba achieved she wasn't allowed to climb the ladder or be recognized

and all her FIRSTS

Staring all the way in 1913

Bibha loved science when science didn’t quite love her back — at least not yet

Only girl in school and college!

she didn’t stop there — she studied science at Scottish Church College and then physics at the University of Calcutta.

That’s like going from level 1 to level 10 on your first try!

Working with D M Bose on Mesons

She used photographic nuclear emulsion to become the first to detect and identify mesons

Learn more

Only woman on the project

She moved to England and joined the University of Manchester, where she worked with another big-name scientist: Patrick Blackett

The project was about cosmic rays! Think: micro fireworks of physics.

What's a cosmic ray anyway?

Heard of KGF? She worked on a machine for them!

After England, Bibha came back to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

They worked to figure out how to identify metal particles easier during mining. And guess what? She was the only woman on the team.

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

Notice how you've been going horizontally this whole time?

That's becasue no matter what Biba achieved she wasn't allowed to climb the ladder or be recognized

and all her FIRSTS

Staring all the way in 1913

Bibha loved science when science didn’t quite love her back — at least not yet

Only girl in school and college!

she didn’t stop there — she studied science at Scottish Church College and then physics at the University of Calcutta.

That’s like going from level 1 to level 10 on your first try!

Working with D M Bose on Mesons

She used photographic nuclear emulsion to become the first to detect and identify mesons

Learn more

Only woman on the project

She moved to England and joined the University of Manchester, where she worked with another big-name scientist: Patrick Blackett

The project was about cosmic rays! Think: micro fireworks of physics.

What's a cosmic ray anyway?

Heard of KGF? She worked on a machine for them!

After England, Bibha came back to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

They worked to figure out how to identify metal particles easier during mining. And guess what? She was the only woman on the team.

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

Notice how you've been going horizontally this whole time?

That's becasue no matter what Biba achieved she wasn't allowed to climb the ladder or be recognized

Hover on the cards to learn

Discovering the Mesons with DM Bose

1942

They observed particle tracks indicating the presence of unknown particles, later identified as mesons

They needed more advanced equipment from England to confirm their finding, but they couldn't get them because of WWII. Eight Years later in 1950, C.F.Powell conducted a study with a similar method but better equipment and got a Nobel Prize for it

So what happened?

Working on her PhD in Manchester

1945

Worked on cloud chambers and worked on a thesis called "“Extensive Air Showers Associated with Penetrating Particles”

Leading the research charge for cosmic rays, Blackett invented a new type of cloud chamber that was more sensitive to the particles being studied- earning him a Nobel Prize in 1949.

So what happened?

Working at TIFR for the KGF project

1957

Joined the Physical Research Laboratory and was one of the pioneers in building particle detectors

While other scientists involved in the KGF received a lot of recognition and national awards, Bibha’s work was scrubbed from the records, only remembered by her colleagues’ “special thanks” when they were recognized.

So what happened?

Being a woman

Gender

In a time when most women were not even allowed to be educated Bibha got a step ahead. Did you know some of her collegues when speaking of her brought this up ; One of the individuals under her guidance, Yogesh C Saxena, mentions “At that time there was a feeling in the Research Scholars at PRL that she was a tough person to work with, which turned out to be totally misplaced as I discovered during my work with her for next several years”.

Being a woman

Gender

Being a woman

Gender

Being Indian

Nationality

The world in the 1940s and 50s was racist. This meant that people from places like UK and USA were favoured over those of colour. Indians being brown and not white counted in the coloured section of soceity. This was also something that could ahve been in Biba's way to a Nobel Prize.

Being Indian

Nationality

Being Indian

Nationality

Being middle class

Financial Status

Remember when Bibha and Bose needed better material to work with to prove Mesons properly? One of the reasons they probably were not able to get them other than the start of the world war was how expensive it was to buy things from England at the time. Money and finance has always been in the way of science brilliance, this was just another one of those times.

Being middle class

Financial Status

Being middle class

Financial Status

WHY DID IT
ALL HAPPEN?

NOW SHE'S A STAR!

NOW SHE'S
A STAR!

NOW SHE'S A STAR!

Bibha Chowdhuri had a star named after her in 2018

This made her more widely known and led to several articles and papers being written about her. While this is a moment to celebrate, we must not forget that she was forgotten for almost a 100 years until someone decided to give her the recognition she desrved.

uncover truth

uncover truth

the field of science | 1940s

the field of science | 1940s

the field of science | 1940s

Space Race, Cold War, Korean War and more unrest

End of the world war, freedom and more.

World War II,

The Rise of the Nazis and the discovery of Neuclear Fission

The Rise of the Nazis and the discovery of Neuclear Fission

The Rise of the Nazis and the discovery of Neuclear Fission

Say hello to Bibha Chowdhuri

Say hello to Bibha Chowdhuri

Say hello to Bibha Chowdhuri

Staring all the way in 1913

she didn’t stop there — she studied science at Scottish Church College and then physics at the University of Calcutta.

She used photographic nuclear emulsion to become the first to detect and identify mesons

She moved to England and joined the University of Manchester, where she worked with another big-name scientist: Patrick Blackett

After England, Bibha came back to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

Notice how you've been going horizontally this whole time?

Staring all the way in 1913

she didn’t stop there — she studied science at Scottish Church College and then physics at the University of Calcutta.

She used photographic nuclear emulsion to become the first to detect and identify mesons

She moved to England and joined the University of Manchester, where she worked with another big-name scientist: Patrick Blackett

After England, Bibha came back to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

Notice how you've been going horizontally this whole time?

Staring all the way in 1913

she didn’t stop there — she studied science at Scottish Church College and then physics at the University of Calcutta.

She used photographic nuclear emulsion to become the first to detect and identify mesons

She moved to England and joined the University of Manchester, where she worked with another big-name scientist: Patrick Blackett

After England, Bibha came back to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

Notice how you've been going horizontally this whole time?

DISCOVER THE TRUTH

Hover on the cards to learn

Hover on the cards to learn

1942

1945

1957

Being a woman

Being a woman

Being a woman

Being Indian

Being Indian

Being Indian

Being middle class

Being middle class

Being middle class

WHY DID IT ALL HAPPEN?

WHY DID IT ALL HAPPEN?

WHY DID IT ALL HAPPEN?

NOW SHE'S A STAR!

NOW SHE'S A STAR!

NOW SHE'S A STAR!

Bibha Chowdhuri had a star named after her in 2018

Bibha Chowdhuri had a star named after her in 2018

Bibha Chowdhuri had a star named after her in 2018

Say hello to
Bibha Chowdhuri

Say hello to
Bibha Chowdhuri

Say hello to
Bibha Chowdhuri

WHY DID IT
ALL HAPPEN?

WHY DID IT
ALL HAPPEN?

WHY DID IT
ALL HAPPEN?

NOW SHE'S
A STAR!