Edith Farkas facts for kids

Edith Elizabeth Farkas (born October 13, 1921 – died February 3, 1993) was a brave scientist who studied Antarctica. She was the first woman from Hungary and the first female staff member from New Zealand's weather service (MetService) to visit Antarctica. For over 30 years, she also did important research on the ozone layer, which protects Earth.

Early Life and Education

Edith Farkas was born in Gyula, Hungary, on October 13, 1921. She went to elementary and high school in Szentgotthárd and Győr, and then in Budapest. In 1939, she started university.

She graduated in 1944 from Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest. She earned a degree to teach mathematics and physics. After World War II, in 1949, she moved to New Zealand as a refugee. There, she continued her studies at Victoria University of Wellington, getting a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Physics in 1952.

Career and Impact

Edith Farkas became a meteorologist, which is a scientist who studies the weather. She also became an expert in studying ozone. In 1951, she started working for the New Zealand Meteorological Service. She worked there for about 35 years.

Ozone Research

From the 1950s until she retired in 1986, Edith Farkas watched the ozone layer very closely. She did important research on ozone monitoring for more than three decades. In the 1960s, she focused more on studying ozone in the atmosphere. This included measuring the total amount of ozone using a special tool called the Dobson ozone spectrophotometer.

Edith was part of a small group of international scientists who studied ozone in the atmosphere. At that time, they mostly used ozone as a way to understand how air moves around the Earth. Her work helped a lot in discovering the "hole in the ozone layer". This discovery changed how the world thought about pollution forever. Her interest in measuring ozone also led her to study ozone near the ground, as part of looking at air pollution. She also measured how clear the air was.

Antarctic Journey

In 1975, Edith Farkas made history. She was the first woman from Hungary to step foot in Antarctica. She was also the first female staff member from the New Zealand MetService to visit the icy continent. Her diaries from World War II were later used to create a book called The Farkas Files.

Later Life and Legacy

When Edith Farkas retired in 1986, she received a special award. She was the first woman to be given the New Zealand MetService Henry Hill Award. In 1988, she was recognized again at the Quadrennial Ozone Symposium in Germany. This was for her amazing 30-year contribution to ozone research.

Edith gave many of her personal items and things from her career to a museum. These included rocks from Antarctica, photographs, and copies of her writings. She also donated the original copy of her book about her time in Antarctica. Edith Farkas bravely fought bone cancer for a long time. She passed away in Wellington on February 3, 1993.

In 2017, Edith Farkas was chosen as one of the "150 women in 150 words" by the Royal Society Te Apārangi. This celebrated the important contributions women have made to knowledge in New Zealand.

See also

In Spanish: Edith Farkas para niños