SAN FRANCISCO: Remembering “The Sun Queen”, Google on Monday is celebrating Hungarian-American biophysicist Dr Mária Telkes, one of the pioneers in the field of solar energy, through its doodle. On this day in 1952, Dr. Telkes became the first person to honour The Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award.
Dr. Telkes, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, on December 12, 1900, attended Eotvos Lorand University to study physical chemistry. She received both her PhD and her bachelor's degrees in 1924. She moved to the US the next year and took a job as a biophysicist, becoming a citizen of the US in 1937.
She later went on to work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a member of the Solar Energy Committee (MIT). The US government requested her help in developing a solar distiller that turned seawater into pure water during World War II.
In 1948, she collaborated with architect Eleanor Raymond to build the Dover Sun House. They received national attention for building a solar-heated home that was a success and helped spread the word about solar energy.
She has also contributed to solar energy research at esteemed universities like New York University, Princeton University, and the University of Delaware. She has served as a consultant for various energy corporations and holds more than 20 patents.
On this day in 1952, Dr. Telkes won the first recipient of The Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award. On December 2, 1995, she passed away in the capital of Hungary.
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