Telkes, Maria

Maria Theresa Telkes (later nicknamed the Sun Queen ) was born in Budapest, Hungary on December 12, 1900. She earned her B.A. (1920) and Ph.D. (1924) in physical chemistry from the University of Budapest, where she began her career as an instructor. Telkes came to the United States in 1925 to visit a cousin (who was then serving as the Bulgarian consul in Cleveland) and settled in the area after being hired as a biophysicist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. In 1937, Telkes was naturalized and accepted a position with Westinghouse Electric. She began a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Solar Energy Conversion Project in 1940 and became an associate research professor in 1945.

During World War II, Telkes developed a solar salt water still that saved the lives of many airmen and sailors stranded at sea. She went on to design a solar heating system for the Dover House, an experimental residence built in 1948 to showcase the power of solar energy, and to design a solar oven. In 1953, Telkes accepted a position at the New York University College of Engineering. She later returned to industry, working with the Curtiss-Wright Company and with Cryo-Therm before becoming director of Melpar Inc.'s solar energy laboratory. In 1969 Telkes became a researcher at the University of Delaware’s Institute of Energy Conversion. In the 1970s, she participated in an effort to store coolness at night for use the next day and so reduce the instance of brownouts and blackouts. She was also involved with the Carlisle House, a second experimental home powered with solar energy, in 1980. Telkes died on December 15, 1995 during a visit to Hungary.