JINHA

NEWS CENTER - World-famous scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has become the first president of Mauritius.

56-year-old biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim has become famous worldwide for her work on the medical and nutritional properties of Mauritius' native plants. Now, after a unanimous vote of approval from the Mauritian National Assembly, she has become the small African island country's first female president.

Ameenah has won a number of honors around the world, including honorary degrees from the Sorbonne and the University of South Africa; the French government's high academic honor the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques; and the L'Oréal-UNESCO award for women in science. In January 2015, Ameenah's colleagues named a species of mollusk after her.

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