A century ago, Edavelth Kakkat Janaki Ammal (M.S. ’25; Ph.D. ’31) received the Barbour Scholarship, one of the University of Michigan’s oldest and most prestigious scholarships, beginning a journey in graduate education that would culminate in her being the first Indian woman to receive a Ph.D. in botany in the United States.
As a graduate student, Ammal specialized in plant cytology, the study of genetic composition and patterns of gene expression in plants, with a focus on breeding interspecific hybrids. Upon her return to India, she would use that knowledge to develop a new cultivar of sugarcane capable of thriving in the country’s climate and reducing the need to import sugar from Southeast Asia and other regions. She continued to teach and conduct research in India and the United Kingdom, developing additional hybrid crops and advocating for the preservation of India’s native flora.