Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon, Indian physicist (Mangalore, Karnataka 28 August 1928 – New Delhi 22 November 2016)

ACHIEVEMENTS

With B. Peters elucidated the properties of the strange particles that are responsible for establishing decay modes of some K-mesons

First observations and analysis of natural neutrino interactions and observations of Kolar events  

First detected atmospheric neutrinos (1965)

First established the existence of muons of varying energies mono-energetic high energy charged pions and electrons as secondaries in the decays of heavy mesons

First demonstrated scattering phenomena involving K-particles

Coined the term associated production used to describe the property of kaons that are always produced in pairs

Developed high-precision measurement techniques for cosmic rays (e.g. the use of large stripped emulsion stacks)

With Virendra Singh developed the technique of flying large-volume plastic balloons to very high altitudes

HONORS 

Asteroid 7564 Gokumenon

Honorary Foreign Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1970)

Honorary Foreign Member, Russian Academy of Sciences

Honorary Member, Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

Honorary Fellow, Institute of Physics, United Kingdom (1997)

President, International Society Council of Scientific Union (1988-93)

Blackett Memorial Lecture, Royal Society (1987)