Anna Mani was an Indian physicist and meteorologist born on August 23, 1918, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. She was a pioneer in the fields of atmospheric physics and cloud physics, and she made significant contributions to the study of monsoon rainfall, solar radiation, atmospheric ozone, and wind energy measurements.
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Anna Mani Early Life and Education
Anna Mani obtained her B.Sc. (Hon.) in 1939 from the Madras Presidency College. A voracious reader since childhood, Mani initially wanted to pursue dancing, but eventually decided in favour of physics since she liked the subject. She then earned her Master’s degree from the University of Michigan in the United States.
Scientific Career Of Anna Mani
Anna Mani began her scientific career with C.V. Raman at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, where she studied the fluorescence and absorption patterns and spectra of diamonds.
She later went on to work at the British Meteorological Office, studying the evolution of weather instruments, and visited several field observatories and manufacturers of meteorological instruments in England and Scotland.
She then joined the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), where she made significant contributions to meteorological instrumentation, conducted research, and published papers on solar radiation, atmospheric ozone, and wind energy measurements.
Membership and Honors
Anna Mani was a member of several organizations including the International Ozone Association, Indian National Science Academy, American Meteorological Society, International Solar Energy Society, World Meteorological Organization, among others.
She served as the director of the Indian National Committee for the International Geophysical Year from 1956 to 1958. Anna Mani received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including the Padma Shri in 1975, one of India’s highest civilian awards.
Legacy
Anna Mani is remembered as a pioneering scientist and a trailblazer for women in science in India. On her 100th birth anniversary, the World Meteorological Organization paid tribute to her and published her life profile along with an interview.
Google Doodle
On August 23, 2022, Google paid tribute to Anna Mani on her 104th birth anniversary. The search engine giant depicted a Google Doodle dedicated to her, celebrating her contributions to the field of meteorology and atmospheric physics.