Katsuko Saruhashi’s 98th Birthday

“There are many women who have the ability to become great scientists. I would like to see the day when women can contribute to science & technology on an equal footing with men.”  

-Katsuko Saruhashi

A young Katsuko Saruhashi sat in primary school watching raindrops slide down a window and wondered what made it rain. Her journey for answers led her to become the first woman to earn a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Tokyo in 1957.

Saruhashi is renowned for her groundbreaking research as a geochemist. She was the first to accurately measure the concentration of carbonic acid in water based on temperature, pH Level, and chlorinity. Named ‘Saruhashi’s Table’ after her, this methodology has proved invaluable to oceanographers everywhere. She also developed a technique to trace the travel of radioactive fallout across the oceans that led to restricting oceanic nuclear experimentation in 1963.

During a career spanning 35 years, Saruhashi became the first woman elected to the Science Council of Japan in 1980, and the first woman honored with the Miyake Prize for geochemistry in 1985 - among many other awards. She was deeply committed to inspiring young women to study science, and established the Saruhashi Prize in 1981, recognizing female scientists for distinguished research in natural sciences.

Today ((( 22.03.2018 ))) on her 98th birthday, we pay tribute to Dr. Katsuko Saruhashi for her incredible contributions to science, and for inspiring young scientists everywhere to succeed.

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Netherlands Elections 2018

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Mother's Day (MENA) 2018

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Ustad Bismillah Khan’s 102nd Birthday

Today we celebrate the birthday of Ustad Bismillah Khan, shehnai maestro and one of India’s most beloved musicians.

Born in Bhirung Raut Ki Gali, Bihar to a family of court musicians, it is said that his grandfather exclaimed “Bismillah!” upon seeing his grandson, and the name stuck. In subsequent years, as his mastery over the shenai grew, the public added the honorific, Ustad (master) to his name.

Both India’s declaration of independence from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 1947 and the creation of the Indian republic three years later in 1950 were heralded by Ustad Bismillah Khan’s shehnai. To this day, Republic Day celebrations are broadcast to the opening notes of his music.

Though he started playing in public at the age of 14, Ustad ji’s performance at the All India Music Conference at Kolkata in 1937 became a defining moment in his career. Three decades later, when he performed at the Edinburgh Music Festival, the shehnai acquired a global audience, and in the minds of millions, became synonymous with its player.

Ustad ji was famously devoted to his art and often referred to his shehnai as his begum(wife). He is one of the few musicians to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor in addition to all four Padma awards. Despite the fame, Ustad Bismillah Khan remained a simple man, living his whole life in Varanasi and dreaming of a world unified by music.

“Even if the world ends, the music will still survive… music has no caste.”

Today’s Doodle by Chennai-based illustrator Vijay Krish, celebrates the shehnai maestro against the backdrop of a geometric style pattern with his instrument aloft, sending a festive tune out into the world.

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Nowruz 2018

A buzzing bee and a big-eyed bug greet each other in a forest of fresh green leaves and blooming flowers. Spring has officially arrived.

In a tradition dating back 3000 years, the exact moment that the sun crosses the equator marks the start of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. After weeks of spring cleaning, families come together to feast and wish each other good luck for the dawning new year.

While music and sports are a key part of the weeklong festivities in Azerbaijan, our friends in Uzbekistan enjoy a traditional meal of ‘sumalyak’, signifying life, abundance and warmth. In Kyrgyzstan, everyone turns out for public concerts as the air hums with the joyful rhythm of the traditional ‘komuz'. And in Iran, people look for the closest source of fresh flowing water to set afloat a sabzeh (fresh grass or sprouts), thus bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new.

Happy Nowruz!

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Guillermo Haro’s 105th Birthday

If you’re stargazing tonight, look for three stars, closely aligned. These are known as the 'Three Sisters', and they are part of the constellation Orion, representing Orion's belt. They belong to an astral region that pivoted Mexican astronomer Guillermo Haro to fame.

Born in Mexico in 1913, Haro grew up during the Mexican revolution and graduated in philosophy before embarking upon a career in astronomy. Amongst his biggest contributions to the science was the discovery of a type of planetary nebulae named Herbig-Haro objects. He also discovered flare stars - red and blue bright stars - in the region of the Orion constellation. These contributions led to Haro becoming the first Mexican elected to the Royal Astronomical Society, in 1959.

Haro's legacy endures to this day through the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics, which he established to support science students in their professional careers. The institute also runs an observatory named after him in the Mexican state of Sonora.

When you look up at the sky tonight, wish a very happy 105th birthday to Guillermo Haro, a star on his own right.

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Fall Equinox 2018

Happy Fall Equinox!

Today ((( 20.03.2018 ))) marks the first day of autumn, astronomically speaking at least. The autumnal equinox — the celestial event in which the sun is directly above the equator — occurs around 4:15 UTC. That means night and day will be almost exactly equal in length, since the earth’s tilt and position in orbit render it parallel with the sun. Just following the equinox, the southern hemisphere will gradually begin to tilt away from the sun’s rays and usher in the cool, crisp autumn weather. 
This year’s seasonal Doodle series protagonist, Quinn, curiously follows the path of a falling leaf, waking up a new friend hidden in the deciduous mound. Surely as the trees begin to turn, many, like Quinn, will find warmth in the company of friends old and new, and fun in the potential of colorful, crunchy leaf piles!

Doodle by Sophie Diao.

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