India has long been known for her contribution to science. Several of our brightest minds have made a mark in the world due to their immense knowledge and contribution to science. But how many do we really know about?
Here are 5 Indian scientists who have had a great impact on the world of science with their hardwork, dedication and never-give attitude:
Dr. Janaki Ammal
India’s first female botanist, Dr. Janaki Ammal was born in 1867 in Thalassery (known as Tellicherry) in Kerala, India. She is the first Indian woman to receive a doctorate in botany in the U.S. in 1913 and is responsible for developing several hybrid crop species that are still grown in India today. Along with her incredible work, she also became an advocate for the preservation of native plants and was responsible for saving the Silent Valley in Kerala from a hydroelectric project.
Raj Reddy
Raj Reddy is the first person of Asian origin to win the Turing Award – referred to as the Nobel Prize of computer science. Born in Chittor, Andhra Pradesh, he has been researching Artificial Intelligence since the 60s and is a pioneer in the field. His trailblazing work in speech technology led to the development of the first continuous speech recognition system – Hearsay I. Raj Reddy has been on the faculty of Stanford and Carnegie Mellon for 50 years now.
Jagdish Chandra Bose
Biologist, physicist and botanist, Jagdish Chandra Bose is considered the father of radio science. He is the first person in the world to demonstrate wireless transmission of electromagnetic waves in 1885. He is also known for his work on plant physiology. He was the first person to prove that plants feel pain and understand affection and showed the electrical nature of plant stimuli. One of the pioneers of wireless communication, Jagdish Chandra Bose’s legacy will live on forever.
Tessy Thomas
Tessy Thomas is the first ever woman to head a missile project in India. She’s the
Director General of Aeronautical Systems and the former Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defence Research and Development Organisation. Tessy Thomas received the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for helping make India self-reliant in missile technology.
Rajeshwari Chatterjee
60 years ago, Rajeshwari Chatterjee was the only woman faculty member at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. She was the first woman engineer from Karnataka. During her tenure, she was a professor and later chairperson of the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering. She mentored 20 PhD students, wrote over 100 research papers, and authored seven books. Following her retirement from the IISc in 1982, she worked on social programs, including the Indian Association for Women’s Studies.
