Alice Ball

Alice Augusta Ball (July 24, 1892 – December 31, 1916) was an African American chemist who developed the "Ball Method" for making ethyl ester derivatives of chaulmoogra oil, which were used as a treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. She was the first woman and first African American to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi and was also the university's first female and African-American chemistry professor. She died at the age of 24 and her contributions to science were not recognized until many years after her death.