Women's History Month: "Sun Queen" Maria Telkes

Maria Telkes portrait
Maria Telkes was a pioneer in solar energy technology.


As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we have the spotlight on Hungarian-American biophysicist, scientist, and inventor Maria Telkes. 

Nicknamed the “Sun Queen,” Maria had an early interest in solar energy. She completed her PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Budapest in 1924 and went on to serve 14 years on MIT’s Solar Energy Conversion Project, the beginning of a career spanning 50 years in innovative solar energy technology. 

Notable inventions include:
  • The Dover Sun House project, an experimental residence heated entirely with solar power.
  • The solar oven, developed for third-world countries
  • A solar still system that converted seawater into drinking water for use on military life boats during WWII
Over the course of her career, Maria earned 20 patents and published more than 100 articles. She received numerous prestigious awards, and became the first recipient of the Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award for her contributions to solar technology.

Diagram of Maria's collapsible solar still with water vapor permeable membrane.
Diagram of Maria's collapsible solar still
We still benefit from Maria’s pioneering technology today.

CWS provides environmental monitoring systems for optimizing the efficiency of solar power generation. Learn more about what we offer here.

 References:
Eschner, Kat. (2017, December). This 1940s Solar House Powered Innovation and Women in STEM. Retrieved from smithsonianmag.com

 Rafferty, John. (2011, February). Mária Telkes, American Physical Chemist and Biophysicist. Retrieved from britannica.com




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CWS Attends HazMat Conference

Image
Last week the  Oregon State Fire Marshal ’s office held their Regional HazMat Emergency Response Team Conference. Nader and Martha were honored to attend.  Beginning in 2005, the OSFM has outfitted HazMat teams with portable and vehicle-mount weather stations from CWS.  The conference was held in Sunriver, Oregon Over the past few years, the teams have been upgraded to the latest Magellan MX weather stations with their new apparatus through Hughes Fire Equipment . In addition to immediate situational awareness, met data from the weather stations is integrated with PEAC software for plume modeling and incident reporting.  Having fun at the "HazMat Olympics" CWS President Nader Khoury with Aristatek rep Renée Soriano   BNSF Railway's HazMat trailer Aristatek rep Renée Soriano presented the PEAC software integration.   Justin Piper, of BNSF (CWS customer) presented on Rail Hazardous Material Response. A key point was Start Gathering Information: What are your wind and wea
Read more

New Heated Magellan MX™ Weather Station Models

Image
Does wintry weather affect the accuracy of your met instruments? Heated sensors can help prevent frozen precipitation from accumulating on weather equipment and causing faulty data. Heated all-in-one sensors are available for the Orion ™ and Pulsar ™ weather stations. Heated wind sensors and tipping bucket rain gauge are available for Capricorn FLX ™ Weather Stations. And now a heated option is also available for the Magellan MX ™ 600, 501, and 500 weather station models. The heating function allows these models to operate easily during snow and ice accumulation with a low power demand (nominally 9W). These Magellan MX models incorporate GPS readings, wind speed and direction, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and compass. The MX501 adds solar radiation. Magellan MX600 adds rainfall. Visit our website or email info@columbiaweather.com for more information.
Read more

HazMat unit equipped with weather station and plume modeling responds to large chemical plant fire in Texas

Image
Recently, an explosion triggered a large fire at a chemical plant in Shepherd, Texas, sending massive plumes of black smoke into the sky. Authorities said flammable liquids, diesel, turpentine, and other toxic chemicals were involved in the fire. Multiple agencies responded including The Woodlands HazMat unit with their Orion Weather Station connected to CERES plume modeling software. Roads were closed and power outages were reported. Local residents were issued a shelter-in-place order being advised to turn off their HVAC, some schools were evacuated, and busses re-routed in San Jacinto and Polk counties. Only one person was reported injured. The Woodlands HazMat vehicle is from Pierce through the Siddons-Martin Emergency Group who provided the above photo. See the following links for additional details: Pierce Manufacturing Vehicle Specs Siddons-Martin Emergency Group Website
Read more