{"id":155923,"date":"2022-02-28T16:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T02:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=155923"},"modified":"2024-03-15T22:06:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T08:06:24","slug":"alice-ball-day-february-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/02\/28\/alice-ball-day-february-28\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr>UH<\/abbr> celebrates Alice Augusta Ball Day in Hawai\u02bbi, February 28"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_11260\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iWWmf0mBwFU?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Â鶹´«Ã½celebrates Alice Augusta Ball Day in Hawai\u02bbi\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Gov. David Ige signed a proclamation that declared February 28 &ldquo;Alice Augusta Ball Day&rdquo; in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at a special recognition ceremony on the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa campus on February 28, 2022. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155959\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155959\" style=\"width: 215px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-portrait-215x300.jpeg\" alt=\"alice ball portrait\" width=\"215\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-155959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-portrait-215x300.jpeg 215w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-portrait-93x130.jpeg 93w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-portrait.jpeg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155959\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Portrait of Alice Ball<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Ball<\/strong> (1892&#8211;1916), <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr>\u2019s first African-American graduate and first woman to earn her master\u2019s degree in chemistry in 1915, was a pioneering scientist who at the age of 23 discovered an effective treatment for Hansen\u2019s disease (leprosy) using oil from the Chaulmoogra tree.<\/p>\n<p>The proclamation signing ceremony took place next to Bachman Hall in the shade of a Chaulmoogra tree planted in Ball\u2019s honor, where a bronze plaque is displayed in her memory. More than 100 people attended, including First Lady Dawn Ige and <abbr>UH<\/abbr> President <strong>David Lassner<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I join the people of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in paying tribute to this brilliant and inspiring young scientist who did so much for the people of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the world,&rdquo; said Ige.<\/p>\n<p>During the event, Lassner and campus and community members shared comments about Ball and how she has impacted the lives of many, including <strong>LaJoya Shelly<\/strong> of <a href=\"https:\/\/bsauhmanoa.wordpress.com\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Black Student Association<\/a>, <strong>Christine Quemuel<\/strong> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/diversity\/\">Student Equity Excellence Diversity<\/a> (<abbr>SEED<\/abbr>), and <strong>DeGray Vanderbilt<\/strong> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalaupapaohana.org\/\">Ka <span aria-label=\"Ohana\">&#699;Ohana<\/span> O Kalaupapa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155933\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155933\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-ceremony-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-155933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-ceremony-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-ceremony-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-ceremony.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155933\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gov. Ige, is joined by First Lady Dawn Ige, Â鶹´«Ã½President David Lassner and campus and community leaders at the signing ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The fact that she made amazing contributions for <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, the world, while here as a young black woman whose work was overlooked for decades\u2014today was just an opportunity to try to begin to make that right,&rdquo; said Lassner.<\/p>\n<p>Shelly agreed saying it is important for current and future students, especially Black students. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We know that representation matters and so when we see ourselves written in the academic canon, see ourselves as part of the campus culture, hopefully it enhances our student sense of belonging on campus,&rdquo; said Shelly.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Related <em><abbr>UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/03\/02\/cultivating-a-uh-legacy\/\">Alice Ball: Cultivating a <abbr>UH<\/abbr> legacy<\/a>, March 2, 2020<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/02\/04\/alice-ball-honored-london-building-facade\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> graduate honored alongside Madam Curie and Florence Nightingale<\/a>, February 4, 2020<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2017\/02\/23\/alice-ball-scholarship-honors-pioneering-chemist-in-fight-against-hansens-disease\/\">Alice Ball scholarship honors pioneering chemist in fight against Hansen\u2019s disease<\/a>, February 23, 2017<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>An accomplished scientist, academic<\/h2>\n<p>Much of what is known about Ball is the result of extensive research by <strong>Paul Wermager<\/strong>, retired science librarian and former head of Hamilton Library\u2019s science and technology department. A letter from Wermager was read at the event. He is writing a book on Ball and established the <a href=\"http:\/\/scholarships.uhfoundation.org\/scholarships\/scholarship_detail.aspx?acct=12748502#:~:text=In%202006%2C%20the%20University%20of,their%20Medal%20of%20Distinction%2C%20posthumously.&#038;text=Description%3A,Manoa%20College%20of%20Natural%20Sciences.\">Alice Augusta Ball Endowed Scholarship<\/a> for underrepresented minority students at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa who, like Ball, hope to enter the science field.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155955\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155955\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-shelley-lajoya.jpeg\" alt=\"woman speaking at microphone, photo behind her\" width=\"676\" height=\"676\" class=\"size-full wp-image-155955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-shelley-lajoya.jpeg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-shelley-lajoya-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-shelley-lajoya-130x130.jpeg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155955\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">LaJoya Shelly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ball graduated from <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa (then the College of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>) in 1915, and her impressive list of firsts grew. She went on to become the school\u2019s first African American female chemistry instructor and department head. Due to her research with kava for her <a href=\"https:\/\/scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu\/handle\/10125\/1837\">master\u2019s thesis<\/a>, Ball was recruited by the <abbr title=\"United States\">U.S.<\/abbr> Public Health Service (Kalihi Hospital) to use the same technique to find a treatment for Hansen\u2019s disease. <\/p>\n<p>She made the fundamental scientific contribution by applying a new method of isolating ethyl esterification from fatty acids of the chaulmoogra oil so it could be effectively administered to patients by injection. <\/p>\n<p>This isolation technique, later called the &ldquo;Ball Method,&rdquo; was the first successful treatment for Hansen&#8217;s disease that was used on thousands of patients around the world until the introduction of sulfone drugs in the mid-1940s. The Ball method was used to treat patients in Kalaupapa, permitting them to return to their families after being banished to isolation facilities on the remote <span aria-label=\"Molokai\">Moloka&#699;i<\/span> peninsula.<\/p>\n<h2>Early death<\/h2>\n<p>Sadly, Ball died on December 31, 1916, at the age of 24, before publishing her groundbreaking work. The president of the College of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, Arthur Dean, continued her work and published her findings, but failed to mention key research she conducted. He mass produced the injectable treatment and was praised for the discovery, calling it the &ldquo;The Dean Method.&rdquo; In 1922, Harry T. Hollmann, the doctor at Kalihi Hospital who encouraged Ball to explore chaulmoogra oil, <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=uSYKAQAAMAAJ&#038;pg=PA95#v=onepage&#038;q&#038;f=false\">published a paper<\/a> and attributed her process as the &ldquo;Ball Method,&rdquo; giving her the proper credit she deserved.<\/p>\n<p>In 2007, the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/offices\/bor\/distinction.php?person=ball\">posthumously awarded<\/a> Alice Ball their Medal of Distinction, for her exceptional accomplishments and significant contributions to the university, state and the world. The medal is on display at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Hamilton Library alongside her <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/library\/about\/organization\/artwork\/alice-augusta-ball-1892-1916\/\">portrait<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Alice Ball Day in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> had previously been proclaimed in 2000 to be February 29, which falls on Black History Month, after what is now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalaupapaohana.org\/january-is-kalaupapa-month\">Kalaupapa Month in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/a> (January) and before Women\u2019s History Month (March).<\/p>\n<p>Read more about Alice Ball on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/02\/04\/alice-ball-honored-london-building-facade\/\"><em>Â鶹´«Ã½News<\/em><\/a>. More on the <a href=\"http:\/\/scholarships.uhfoundation.org\/scholarships\/scholarship_detail.aspx?acct=12748502#:~:text=In%202006%2C%20the%20University%20of,their%20Medal%20of%20Distinction%2C%20posthumously.&#038;text=Description%3A,Manoa%20College%20of%20Natural%20Sciences.\">Alice Augusta Ball Endowed Scholarship<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This recognition of Alice Ball is an example of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=20\">Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), two of four goals identified in the 2015\u201325 Â鶹´«Ã½ (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155940\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-plaque-lei.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-155940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-plaque-lei.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-plaque-lei-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/manoa-alice-ball-plaque-lei-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guests presented lei on the bronze plaque dedicated in memory of Alice Ball.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. David Ige signed a proclamation that declared February 28 to be &ldquo;Alice Augusta Ball Day&rdquo; in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> to commemorate her remarkable legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,12],"tags":[679,251,308,598,1466,9,56,1626],"class_list":["post-155923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-video","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-chemistry","tag-college-of-natural-sciences","tag-faculty-recognition","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","tag-women-of-uh","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155923"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156038,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155923\/revisions\/156038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}