Blazing the trail in science

L’Oreal and Unesco feted Kenya’s Dr Peggoty Mutai, 32, in Paris for her revolutionary research that seeks to find lasting solutions for the parasitic worms that affect millions of children in Africa. Her research taps into the age-old knowledge of our forefathers who used traditional plants. NJOKI KARUOYA was there.

For many women, science is just too complicated and complex for their minds. Yet, according to 32-year-old Dr Peggoty Mutai — this year’s Kenya’s L’Oreal-Unesco Fellow and a PhD student in Chemistry at the University of Nairobi (where she also lectures) and the University of Cape Town in South Africa — women have been practising science from time immemorial.

The only thing is, women don’t appreciate this fact or don’t truly recognise their impact in the complex world of science.

"Every woman is a scientist," Peggoty stunned us with this pronouncement last week in Paris, France, as she awaited the grand gala ceremony where she, together with 14 other young scientists, would be awarded grants to continue with their inspiring research into various revolutionary projects.

Flour and water

"As a young girl, I used to watch my grandmother make ugali. Before the water boiled, I noticed that she would sprinkle a little flour into the water. When I asked her why she did that, she told me that adding a little flour made the water boil faster.

Peggoty with her husband Raymond Kemei. [Photo: John Muchucha/Standard]

"It’s only later when I was studying Science that I learnt that introducing impurities into liquids lowers its boiling point. So you see, my grandmother was already practising science, it’s just that she didn’t call it that," explained Peggoty.

Even in the course of motherhood, women continue to practise science without knowing it.

"For instance," Peggoty explained, "When a child falls down, his or her mother will pick him/her up and soothingly, lovingly rub the point of injury in an attempt to ease the child’s pain, without knowing that they are applying the principles of science. You see, both pain and pressure are signals that are sent to the brain. But when both are sent at the same time, the pressure signal is given more priority in the brain so when a mother applies pressure to a wound, the pain gets a backseat."

Peggoty continued: "Women practise science daily without knowing it, yet all science does is explain why things happen the way they do."

According to statistics, only a mere three per cent of the world’s scientists are women, which is a shame. To encourage more women pursue science and to stop seeing it as a daunting field, L’Oreal, a global cosmetics company that has for the past century been beautifying millions of women around the world, teamed up (through its foundation) with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) 14 years ago to motivate young women to choose science, and to encourage women scientists around the world undertaking revolutionary research projects by granting them research fellowships in prestigious universities in the developed world.

Similarly, established women scientists who have made tremendous progress, even achieved firsts in their chosen specialisations, would be awarded with laureates, which is almost equal in strength to the Nobel prizes. Some L’Oreal-Unesco laureates over the past 14 years have been nominated to, and two of the recognised women scientists even won the coveted Nobel prizes in Medicine and Chemistry.

Huge stage

So it was with great pride that we cheered on Peggoty who did Kenya proud on that huge stage in Paris with her eloquence and smarts. Her mission is to provide a solution for one of Africa’s biggest problems — parasitic worms.

"Worms, especially intestinal worms like roundworms affect the poor in Africa and I’m determined to find a natural solution to this problem," Peggoty vowed.

Her fear, she said, is that without realising it, parasitic worms are gradually building a resistance against the drugs currently used to combat them in children and adults. "I don’t want us to get to the point of mass resistance before we start acting. We must be ready to deal with these worms and that is where my research is based," she said.

Peggoty’s research hinges on finding new treatments from traditional plants. Using knowledge passed on through generations in different communities, Peggoty is identifying plants used to treat worms then taking them apart to discover the special secret active compounds and properties that specifically target the worms, from which she will then produce new drugs to combat the menace.

Molecular biology

Her L’Oreal-Unesco grant gives her the enviable opportunity to continue her research at the Institute of Parasitology at McGill University in Canada. According to Unesco, her time at this university will be used to learn the latest techniques in molecular biology to screen large numbers of medicinal plants for anti-parasitic activity.

The technologies at McGill University are advanced and will help Peggoty quicken her research so that, by the end of her project, she will have the solution that will transform the lives of millions of children in Africa (and other developing countries), and ultimately, cement her achievement in the world of science, which she will have done by "giving scientific credence to the age-old knowledge of traditional healers".

"We are very proud of Peggoty and we at L’Oreal are proud that we are providing a platform that is creating role models for Kenyan girls," said the Managing Director L’Oreal East Africa Patricia Ithau. "Through the fellowships and the laureates, L’Oreal is encouraging girls around the world to pursue Science, and this is our way of influencing the world. The quality of L’Oreal’s products would not be of high, international standards if it were not for rigorous science, and so we stand for ‘beauty with a purpose’. Peggoty is showing our Kenyan women that we can juggle science, beauty and family and so girls should not shy away from this subject. These awards are L’Oreal’s way of giving back to society," Patricia concluded.

Peggoty’s husband of four years, Raymond Kemei, perhaps bubbled with more pride than everyone else during the one-week stay in Paris where his wife was feted by some of the world’s top scientists and journalists. Everyone wanted a piece of her, and like the gracious spouse that he showed himself to be, he allowed his wife the freedom to fully enjoy the limelight, giving her all the support she needed.

"I’m very proud of Peggoty," he said just before her name was called out on the world stage. Of the 15 fellows, her responses were clear, concise and audible, and she repeatedly received enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Peggoty is one of three sub-Saharan African L’Oreal-Unesco research fellows. The other two are Gladys Kahaka from Namibia and Johannie Maria Spaan from South Africa.

A PhD student in Plant Sciences at the University of Namibia, Gladys plans to save three endangered species in the animal and vegetable worlds, namely the cheetah, the ximenia tree and the devil’s claw. Thanks to the grant, she will pursue her studies at the University of Nottingham in the UK.

Parasitic infections

Also interested in the environment, Johanne is trying to save the African buffalo by studying the effect of the environment on the ability of the buffalo to resist parasitic infections and diseases. She will pursue her research at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, USA.

Other fellows were Aziza Hassan Kamel from Egypt, Dana Bazzoun from Lebanon, Emma Harigua from Tunisia, Sidrotun Naim from Indonesia, Zoe Hilton from New Zealand, Patricia Miang Lon from Singapore, Naama Geva-Zatorsky from Israel, Elza Van Deel from Netherlands, Vita Majce from Slovenia, Kathrin Barboza Marquez from Bolivia, Giomar Helena Borrero from Colombia and Dora Medina from Mexico.