Who was Kamala Sohoni, Indian biochemist and pioneer of science history

The Google Doodle search platform on Sunday (18) celebrates the 112th anniversary of Indian Biochemistry Kamala Sohoney. She was the first woman in India to earn a PhD in a scientific field when Indian women still had little access to jobs in this field.

Sohonie was born in Indore, a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, on 18 June 1911, to parents who were respected chemists. Wanting to follow in the footsteps of her father and uncle, she studied chemistry and physics at Bombay University and graduated top of her class in 1933.

According to anyone Google information pageShe became the first woman to enter the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), but suffered harsh conditions during her first year—all because the director of the institute questioned women’s abilities in science.

Not only does Kamala prove her competence, she impresses the director, who begins accepting more women into his research program. Over the next few years, Sohonie studied the proteins in legumes and concluded that they improved infant nutrition. In 1936, she published her work on the subject and received her master’s degree.

A year later, the Indian won a research scholarship to the respected Cambridge University in England. There, he discovered cytochrome C, an enzyme important for energy generation, and discovered that it is present in all plant cells.

In just 14 months, he completed his dissertation on this discovery and was awarded his Ph.D. When he returned to India, the biochemist continued to study the benefits of certain foods and helped develop an affordable dietary supplement made from palm nectar. This nutritious drink, called Neera, is a good source of vitamin C and has been shown to improve the health of malnourished children and pregnant women.

Sohonie received the Rashtrapati Award for her work in Neera. She also became the first female director of the Royal Institute of Science, Bombay.