Colleagues, friends pay tribute to Rohini Godbole – passionate scientist, charismatic teacher & proponent of women in STEM

Despite being unwell for the past four-five months, mediocre wellness failed to support subject distant from Godbole arsenic she and physicist Sunil Mukhifinalised the taxable for the adjacent textbook conscionable a fewer months ago.

Recalling an incidental earlier this year, wherever Godbole had promised to taxable an obituary connected Peter Higgs (after whom Higgs Boson is named), Justin David from CHEP said , “Rohini’s falling wellness was preventing her from making a timely submission and each clip we met, she would regret the delay.”

Just a fortnight ago, Godbole had shared a database of areas successful particle physics she wanted her younger theoretical physics colleagues to instrumentality up. “On October 5, Rohini sent a connection and asked a fewer of america to commencement considering definite topics to research. She was truthful afloat of life,” said Srubabi Goswami from the Physical Research Laboratory.

Last month, she had expressed a tendency to be a speech by a French pupil and her colleagues astatine CHEP specially arranged for an online viewing league for her.” Rohini aboriginal said she enjoyed the talk,” said long-time person and IISc colleague, Chanda.

Subir Sarkar, a physicist from the Oxford University, said helium had known Godbole for half a period and the quality of Godbole’s passing shattered him. ” Rohini was my oldest person successful Physical Sciences. I person fond memories from our times astatine the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) days successful the precocious 1970s,” helium said.

A almighty votary for sex parity for STEM successful India, Godbole has utilized each platform, large oregon small, to bring the concerns that women academicians and scientists look to the mainstream. She constituted the sheet – Indian Women successful Science astatine the Indian Academy of Science (IASc). She was a committee subordinate that published the study titled ‘INSA Report : Indian women and entree to Science’, a first-of-its kind.

Her passionateness and thrust to bring women’s issues to the forefront was lauded by scientists Vinita Bal, Subha Tole and Annapurni Subramaniam, each of whom said that Godbole’s enactment to uplift women scientists indispensable continue.

Along with world publications, Godbole co-authored Lilavati’s Daughters,  a postulation of 100 biographical essays connected Indian women scientists with her workfellow Ram Ramaswamy.  Recalling his decades’-old friend, Ramaswamy said, ” Rohini made radical delicate to issues of women scientists, the disadvantages they faced and ever advocated a sex enactment successful STEM.”

She’d question extensively for subject and probe and utilized these opportunities to stitch planetary ties with India. Her sustained efforts for bringing galore of the planetary conferences, on with top-global scientists, to India was overmuch appreciated by the mourners.

Eric Laenen of the University of Amsterdam appreciated her sustained efforts successful getting India adjacent to CERN, Geneva. As her long-time collaborator, the Dutch physicist said, “Rohini was my technological sister arsenic we were some pursuing PhD astatine Stony Brooks University. She inspired galore women and made friends everyplace she travelled. India volition payment immensely by Rohini’s affirmative publication to CERN.”

Everybody who knew Godbole and interacted with the Pune-born physicist agreed that she was charismatic, having an astir magnetic effect connected young children and remained passionate astir subject till the end.

Another collaborator from France, Sabine Krami, successful her tribute said, said Godbole had opened her to the thought of India.”She made maine observe India and it was the opening of collaboration of with a batch of Indian physicists thereafter. Until 2 weeks ago, we exchanged texts connected work.”

Students recalled how, the teacher successful her near indelible people connected their learning during the undergraduate years and inspite of being a well-established researcher herself, she near nary chromatic unturned to prosecute undergraduate courses successful absorbing ways.