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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Greetings from India!

As the recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award, Center Director Meenakshi Wadhwa is spending 4 months doing collaborative research at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, India. 

This is the first in a series of digital post cards from her travels – stay tuned for future updates!

Besides my collaborative research project at the PRL, the other main goal of my fellowship was to better understand the planetary science “landscape” in India and to build connectivity with students and researchers interested and involved in this area. To this end, I’ve had the opportunity to visit several universities and institutes, as well as the headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organization in Bangalore (fortuitously, at a time when a joint ISRO-NASA Mars Data Analysis workshop was taking place). So, for your enjoyment, here are some pictures from my adventures so far!

Meenakshi (Mini) Wadhwa

With colleagues from Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. From left: Vinai Rai, Lalit Shukla, Jinia Sikdar, Meenakshi Wadhwa, and Kuljeet Marhas; Dr. Marhas is serving as my faculty host at the PRL.With colleagues from Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. From left: Vinai Rai, Lalit Shukla, Jinia Sikdar, Meenakshi Wadhwa, and Kuljeet Marhas; Dr. Marhas is serving as my faculty host at the PRL.

With Dr. S. Seetha (Programme Director, Space Science Programme Office, ISRO) and Dr. Jim Green (Planetary Science Division Director, NASA) at ISRO headquarters in Bangalore.

With Dr. S. Seetha (Programme Director, Space Science Programme Office, ISRO) and Dr. Jim Green (Planetary Science Division Director, NASA) at ISRO headquarters in Bangalore.

With women undergraduates at my alma mater (Department of Geology at Panjab University). There were only ~10% women undergraduates during my time there, but now there are equal numbers of women and men.

With women undergraduates at my alma mater (Department of Geology at Panjab University). There were only ~10% women undergraduates during my time there, but now there are equal numbers of women and men.