EDU-04 seminar.pptx

CONTRIBUTIONS OF DR. E K JANAKIAMMAL

1. EDU-04.9 : THEORETICAL BASIS OF NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION SEMINAR TOPIC: CONTRIBUTIONS OF SCIENTISTS- JANAKI AMMAL Submitted to, Submitted by, Dr. Asha K Thomas Ardra S B Assistant Professor B.Ed Natural Science Mount Tabor Training MTTC, College, Pathanapuram . Pathanapuram .

2. E.K. JANAKI AMMAL Born 4 November 1897 Tellicherry ,  Madras Presidency ,  British India Died 7 February 1984 (aged 86) Madras , Tamil Nadu Nationality Indian Alma mater University of Michigan Awards Padma Shri 1977 Scientific career Fields Botany ,  Cytology Institutions Madras University ,  John Innes Centre Thesis Chromosome Studies in Nicandra physaloides DR. EDAVALATH KAKKAT JANAKI-AMMAL – “THE MOTHER OF MODERN BOTANY IN INDIA”

3. LIFE Born in Tellichery, Kerala in a cultured middle class family on 4th November 1897. Ammal’s father was a sub-judge in the Madras Presidency. She had six brothers and five sisters. Schooling in Tellichery, the Bachelor’s degree from Queen Mary’s College, Madras, Her Honours degree in Botany from the Madras Presidency College in 1921 , Master’s degree in 1925 from University of Michigan in USA, Obtained a PhD in 1931 from University of Michigan in USA.

4. CARRIER 1932-34: Professor of Botany at the Maharaja’s College of Science, Trivandrum. 1934-39: Geneticist at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute at Coimbatore. 1940-45:Assistant Cytologist at the John Innes Horticultural Institution in London. 1945-51:Cytologist at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley . From then on, besides the reorganization of the BSI, Ammal continued to be in the service of the Government of India. She worked for a brief spell at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay . 1970: Emeritus Scientist at the Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, University of Madras. She lived and worked in the Centre’s Field Laboratory at Maduravoyal near Madras until her demise in February 1984.

5. MAJOR SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS As the first woman scientist from India in Botany her contributions span from development of cytogenetics to conservation of biodiversity. She was able to manipulate the polyploid cells by cross-breeding of hybrids to develop high yielding strain of the sugarcane that grows in Indian conditions. Through her works, which was published in journals such as Nature she established that the sugarcane variety S. Spontaneum originated in India. She developed several intergeneric hybrids and spanned a research direction from sugarcanes to Bamboo.

6. One of the biggest contributions came with CD Darlington, who remained Janaki’s friend for long, in the form of a book on “Chromosome Atlas of Cultivated Plants” in 1945. She was an environmental activist in the later stages of her life in India. She played a major role in the protest that stood against the plans to setup hydro-power dam in Kunthipuzha river in Kerala. In 1955, she was the only woman invited to the conference by the Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research at Princeton. In her return to India, her focus on polyploidy and evolution of plants led to work in some of the most important works in the genera - Solanum , Datura , Mentha , Cymbopogon and Dioscorea , in addition to several of medicinal plants. After retirement, the main contributions were in the area of medicinal plants and ethnobotany .

7. Recognition and Awards In her career, she was recognized for her services, an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS) in 1935, and Indian National Science Academy in 1957. In 1956, the University of Michigan conferred honorary LL.D. to Dr. Janaki for her contributions to cytogenetics and botany. In recognition of her contribution to the John Innes Centre offers Janaki Ammal Scholarships for overseas postgraduate research students from developing countries to study for a Ph.D. program. The recognition from the Indian Government came in the form of Padma Shri in 1977. Later in the year 1999, the Government of India from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry honored Dr. Janaki by starting a National Award of Taxonomy in her name.

8. PLANTS IN HER NAME To honor her work in plant breeding , the Royal Horticultural Society , Wisley , UK named a variety of Magnolia she created as Magnolia kobus Janaki Ammal In 2018 , to celebrate her remarkable career and contribution to plant science , two Rose breeders Viru and Girija Viraraghavan breed a new rose variety which they named E K JANAKI AMMAL. The name Janaki arayalpathra is also after her. Sonerila janakiana , a new species of plant in the family Melanstomaceae , is named after her