That same year she became a research engineer at Westinghouse Electric, where she developed instruments that converted heat into electrical energy; however, she made her first forays into solar energy research in 1939. Boxlike solar collectors captured sunlight and warmed the air in a compartment between a double layer of glass and a black sheet of metal. Telkes was born in Budapest, Hungary where she attended the University of Budapest earning a B.A. Dr. Telkes also developed a solar salt-water still for the Navy in World War II, which saved the lives of torpedoed sailors and downed airmen. Updates? Born December 12, 1900, Budapest , in Austria-Hungary [now in Hungary], she died December 2, 1995, Budapest), Hungarian-born American physical chemist and biophysicist best known for her invention of the solar distiller and the first solar-powered heating system designed for residences. Maria Telkes was born in Budapest, Hungary in the year 1900 to Aladar Telkes and Maria Laban de Telkes. She was nicknamed the Sun Queen for her work on solar energy, inventing solar stoves and a solar-powered distiller to desalinate sea water. She also invented other devices capable of storing energy captured from sunlight. Maria Telkes was a highly respected innovator in solar energy. Among her honors are the Society of Women Engineer's Achievement Award and the Charles Greely Abbot Award from the International Solar Energy Society. She also invented other devices capable of storing energy captured from sunlight. 3,986,969, Born Whilst an Associate Research Professor at MIT, she realised her interests lay in solar energy applications. The solar oven was completed by 1977, it was useful in remote Native American tribal reservations. The Telkes Solar Cooker Mria Telkes (1900 - 1995) was a Hungarian-American scientist and inventor who worked on solar energy technologies. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the world or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell. From the outside, it looked something like a regular home, only chopped in half to create a wedge shape, with 18 windows lining the second story of its south side. The physical chemist and biophysicist dedicated her career to harnessing its energy, inventing the first successful solar-powered heating system, the solar oven and a solar water distilling system for making seawater potable. Maria Telkes was a highly respected innovator in solar energy. Furthermore, Dr. Telkes created a new technology for the Dover Sun House; this technology used a type of salt called Glaubers salt to store heat. Telkes became an American citizen in 1937. During World War II, she invented a solar distiller that vaporized seawater and then recondensed it into drinkable water. 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