Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott was born on June 20, 1919. In her childhood, she would collect seaweed to use for cooking. The interest in seaweed continued through her adulthood. In 1950, she earned her doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley in botany. This made her the first Native Hawaiian women to earn a Ph.D. in science. She helped discover more than 200 species of seaweed. Additionally, she brought more knowledge on the benefits of plants in marine ecosystems.
