Mária Telkes

Google Doodle Today: Hungarian-American biophysicist Mária Telkes is best known for her invention of the solar distiller and the first solar-powered heating ...

She received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Sciences Building Research Advisory Board in 1977, for her contributions to solar-heated building technology. Telkes became the first recipient of the Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award in 1952. Mária Telkes designed and constructed the world's first modern residence hearted with solar energy, together with American architect Eleanor Raymond. The house, built in Dover, Massachusetts in 1948, had boxlike solar collectors that captured sunlight and warmed the air in a component between a double layer of glass and a black sheet of metal. In 1953, she received a $45,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to create a universal solar oven that could be adapted for use by people living at all latitudes. In 1939, Telkes made her first forays into solar energy research.

Maria Telkes, one of the first pioneers of solar energy who believed the power of the sun could change human lives, is the subject of Monday's Google ...

She died on December 2, 1995, in the Hungarian capital. The following year, she relocated to the US and accepted a position as a biophysicist, becoming a US citizen in 1937. During World War II, the US government asked her to assist in the development of a solar distiller that converted seawater into fresh water.

NEW DELHI: Dr Maria Telkis was one of the first persons to work towards the utilisation of solar energy in our day-to-day activities.

It was instrumental in saving the lives of several soldiers during World War II. She was a member of the solar energy committee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Maria Telkes was born in Budapest in Hungary in the December of 1900.

The Hungarian-American scientist and biophysicist Maria was so aligned with solar energy that she was called 'Sun Queen'.

It was a widely acknowledged success and with this, the term 'solar energy' prevailed. One of the prominent contributions was the solar distiller which converted seawater into fresh water. She was one of the first pioneers of solar energy. Her inspiring career was celebrated for decades. This innovation saved countless lives of torpedoed sailors and downed pilots. She also received her PhD in 1924. Maria was the first person to receive The Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award on December 12, 2022, in 1952. Later, she became a US citizen. Her belief that the power of the sun could change human lives was proven right. The government had invited her to develop the saltwater still for the Navy. Born in Budapest in Hungary in 1900, Dr Telkes studied physical chemistry at the Eotvos Lorand University of Budapest and graduated with a BA in 1920. The Hungarian-American scientist and biophysicist Maria was so aligned with solar energy that she was called 'Sun Queen' for her contribution to the solar thermal storage system.

Telkes was an innovative scientist recognised for her contributions to the solar energy technologies.

- In 1972, Telkes also helped build the first house to generate both heat and electricity from the sun. - Telkes also has more than 20 patents to her credit. - Despite the setback, Telkes’s research continued. - “Dr Godfrey Lowell Cabot was the first to recognise the importance of systematic Solar Energy Conversion,” Telkes wrote. - She became an American citizen in 1937. “He created a foundation for this purpose at [MIT].