DECEMBER 12, 2022: The Google Doodle for today honours Dr. Mária Telkes, one of the early solar energy pioneers, for her life and groundbreaking achievements. She was right when she said that the sun’s power may alter people’s lives. On this day in 1952, Dr. Telkes became the first recipient of The Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award.
Dr. Telkes studied physical chemistry at the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest after being born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1900. She earned her PhD in 1924 after earning her B.A. in 1920. She relocated to the US the next year and took a job as a biophysicist. She attained U.S. citizenship in 1937.
Dr. Telkes continued her career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a member of the Solar Energy Committee. During World War II, she was called upon by the U.S. government to help develop a solar distiller that converted seawater into fresh water. This life-saving invention was used by soldiers stationed in the Pacific theater.
After the war, Dr Telkes returned to MIT as an associate research professor. She and her MIT colleagues were tasked with creating habitable solar-heated homes. Unfortunately, she proposed and developed a design that failed, and was removed from the committee, but she persisted.
Together with architect Eleanor Raymond, she built the Dover Sun House in 1948 with private finance from benefactors. The solar-heated house was a success, and the women were highlighted in the media, which helped spread awareness of solar energy. Success and inventiveness characterised Dr. Telkes’ outstanding career.
She developed a solar oven design that is still in use today after receiving a contract from the Ford Foundation.
At prestigious universities like NYU, Princeton University, and the University of Delaware, she also contributed to the study of solar energy. Dr. Telkes worked as a consultant for numerous energy firms and held more than 20 patents.
It’s no wonder she’s remembered as The Sun Queen.
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