Google Doodle honours 'Sun Queen' Dr Maria Telkes
Google Doodle honours 'Sun Queen' Dr Maria Telkes
Google Doodle celebrates Maria Telkes's life and inventions, a Hungarian-American scientist born in Budapest on December 12, 1900. In 1920 she studied physical chemistry and earned a PhD in 1924. She initiated work on solar energy. She invented several solar-powered devices and obtained 20 patents in her lifetime, no small feat. She came to the United States in 1925 and began working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her main focus was the study of the practical uses of solar energy, and she became a US citizen in 1937.
At MIT, she developed a technique to store energy from the sun using sodium sulphates. She moved into the field of solar energy research in 1939. She also played a role in the US war efforts by developing various solutions to problems Allied soldiers faced. She designed a device that could distil water using energy from the sun, saving several soldiers' lives. She created a device that could evaporate seawater and condense it, giving drinkable water. She was also one of the founders of solar thermal energy storage systems, earning her the nickname "Sun Queen". After the war, she became a professor at MIT.
She is also credited with inventing the world's first solar-heated house. For this invention, she associated with her partner Eleanor Raymond, an architect. To do this, she got a $45,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. In 1953, she created a solar oven. She also invented a small desalination unit (solar still) for lifeboats that are still used.
"Telkes' inspiring career was filled with success and innovation. She was commissioned by the Ford Foundation and created a solar oven design that's still used today. She also helped research solar energy at prestigious institutions such as NYU, Princeton University, and the University of Delaware. Telkes earned more than 20 patents and worked as a consultant for many energy companies. It's no wonder she's remembered as The Sun Queen," Google wrote in a statement on December 12. Dr Maria left this world in 1995.