physics

Meera Chandrasekhar

Meera Chandrasekhar is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meera Chandrasekhar rather than just read about it. In short: Dr. Meera Chandrasekhar (Kannada: ಡಾ. ಮೀರಾ ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಖರ್; born 1949), is a Curators’ Teaching of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri.

Key takeaways

Meera Chandrasekhar belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Meera Chandrasekhar to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Meera Chandrasekhar from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Dr. Meera Chandrasekhar (Kannada: ಡಾ. ಮೀರಾ ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಖರ್; born 1949), is a Curators’ Teaching of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri. She was the recipient of the 2014 Baylor University's Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching. Her research focuses on optical spectroscopy of semiconductors and superconductors under pressure. Meera has also developed several hands-on physics programs for students in grades 5–12, and summer institutes for K-12 teachers.

Early life and education Chandrasekhar was born in Andhra Pradesh, India into an ethnic Kannadiga family. Her father Chandrapal was an officer in the Indian Army, and her mother Kusuma was a housewife. Growing up, she lived in several towns and cities across India. She is married to H. R. Chandrasekhar, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Missouri. They have three children.

Education Chandrapal obtained a B.Sc. degree from M. G. M. College, Udupi, in 1968, an M.Sc. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India. She received her Ph.D. at Brown University in 1976. After a post-doctoral fellowship at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, she arrived at the University of Missouri in 1978, where she is currently a professor in the department of physics and astronomy.

Research interests Chandrasekhar's research interests are in the area of optical spectroscopy of semiconductors, superconductors, and conjugated polymers, with an emphasis on high-pressure studies. She has published over 120 papers in this area.

Educational interests Chandrasekhar has an interest in education at all levels. At the university level she has restructured several courses in her department, and developed a physics course for elementary education majors that has an annual enrollment of over 140 students. Beginning in 1993, she led a series of programs for K-12 students and their teachers, supported by the National Science Foundation, and the Missouri Department of Higher Education. The programs included Exploring Physics for 5-7 grade female students, which focused on learning physics concepts through hands-on activities; Family Evenings with Science and Technology (FEST), a middle school parent and student program where each team built a miniature working drawbridge; Saturday Scientist, an industry based experience for 8-9 grade students designed to increase students' awareness of potential careers in the physical sciences; Newton Summer Science Academy for 9-11 grade girls, which integrated science, engineering and mathematics through a toy factory building project; and summer teacher academies for 5-12 grade science teachers. For her mentoring of young students, she received the Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) award in 1999. The most recent project, A TIME for Physics First, focuses on professional development and leadership training for science teachers so they can implement a yearlong course in physics at the 9th grade level. As part of this project, she and a colleague, Dorina Kosztin led the development of Exploring Physics, a digital curriculum for conceptual physics.

Honors 2014 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, Baylor University 2013 Finalist, Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, Baylor University 2008 Missouri Educator Award, Science Teachers of Missouri 2006 Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, University of Missouri 2004 Curator's Distinguished Teaching Professorship, University of Missouri 2004 Science Teachers of Missouri Distinguished Service Award 2002 Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras 1999 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring 1998 Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching 1997 William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence, University of Missouri 1992 Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society 1990 Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity in the Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Missouri 1987 Purple Chalk award for Excellence in Teaching. College of Arts and Science Student Government 1985 Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship 1970 Bronze Medal and Certificate of Merit for the first rank in the M.Sc. class, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras 1968 Gold Medal for distinction and first rank in the B.Sc. class, Mysore University 1965-70 National Science Talent Search Scholarship sponsored by the Government of India

Interactions with popular media Getting Girls to E=mc^2, Columbia Missourian, 1993. Kemper Award, Columbia Missourian, 1997 Scientist who Mentors Girls gets Presidential Award, St. Louis Post Dispatch, 1999. An Interview with Meera Chandrasekhar Making Strides Newsletter, News On Minority Graduate Education (MGE) Volume 2 Number 1 February 2000. By Virginia Van Horne, MGE Senior Research Associate.

References

External links Blind to Polarization - What Humans do not see (video) Lecture at Baylor University, October 2013. Indian-American Wins Top US Teaching Award, The Economic Times, 18 January 2014. Semiconductors and Superconductors Under High Pressure, Bangalore Science Forum Lecture (video), 5 July 2015. Transforming Perceptions of Physics IIT Madras - I & AR, Leadership Lecture series (video) 9 July 2015. Missourian. MU professors develop app to help teach ninth-graders physics, YUAN YUAN 14 Sep 2015 Physics now mandatory in some Freshman classrooms, KMZU 100.7 FM, Ashley Johnson, 15 September 2015 A conversation with Meera Chandrasekhar: This MU physics professor is bringing technology, gender balance and understanding to science education VOX magazine – By Arthur Cook Bremer, 3 December 2015

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meera Chandrasekhar

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meera Chandrasekhar claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meera Chandrasekhar before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meera Chandrasekhar ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meera Chandrasekhar

In research: Meera Chandrasekhar appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meera Chandrasekhar in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meera Chandrasekhar is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, 21st-century American physicists, 21st-century American women physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meera Chandrasekhar outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meera Chandrasekhar in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meera Chandrasekhar means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Meera Chandrasekhar out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meera Chandrasekhar in simple terms?

Dr. Meera Chandrasekhar (Kannada: ಡಾ. ಮೀರಾ ಚಂದ್ರಶೇಖರ್; born 1949), is a Curators’ Teaching of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri.

Why does Meera Chandrasekhar matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meera Chandrasekhar?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meera Chandrasekhar.