Esther Takeuchi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esther Takeuchi
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| Estere Sāns | |
Takeuchi in 2023
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| Born | September 8, 1953 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
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| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania Ohio State University |
| Spouse(s) | Kenneth J. Takeuchi |
| Awards | E. V. Murphree Award (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Materials Science |
| Institutions | Stony Brook University University at Buffalo |
Esther Sans Takeuchi (born Esther Sans, Latvian: Estere Sāns) is a brilliant scientist and engineer. She works on creating better ways to store energy, like advanced batteries. Her work helps power important medical devices that are placed inside the body. She is a top professor at Stony Brook University and a lead scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Esther Takeuchi holds over 150 patents in the United States. A patent is like a special permission that says you invented something new.
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Who is Esther Takeuchi?
Esther Takeuchi was born in 1953. Her parents, Mary and Rudolf Sans, were refugees from Latvia. They had to leave their home during the Second World War in 1945. They lived in a refugee camp in Germany for several years. Later, they moved to the United States to start a new life.
Her Education and Early Career
Esther Takeuchi went to the University of Pennsylvania. She studied chemistry and history there and graduated in 1975. After that, she earned her Ph.D. (a very high degree) in organic chemistry. She got this degree from Ohio State University in 1981. Her research focused on how certain chemicals react together.
While she was studying for her Ph.D., she met Kenneth J. Takeuchi. They got married in 1982.
After her studies, she did more training in electrochemistry. This is the study of how electricity and chemical reactions work together. She trained at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Buffalo.
Working on Batteries for Medical Devices
Esther Takeuchi then worked at a company called Greatbatch Inc. for 22 years. This company was in Clarence, New York. Here, she helped develop a special battery called the Li/SVO battery. This work was supported by Wilson Greatbatch, who invented the first successful implantable pacemaker.
She also worked on batteries for many other medical devices. These included devices for stimulating nerves, delivering medicine, and pacemakers. She also helped create strong industrial batteries. These batteries had to work well in tough places with high temperatures and lots of shaking.
Becoming a Professor
In 2007, Esther Takeuchi started teaching at the University at Buffalo. She became a special professor focusing on advanced power sources. Today, she is a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University. She teaches in the chemistry and materials science departments.
In 2013, she received the E.V. Murphree Award. This award is for important work in industrial and engineering chemistry. She is also a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society. She even served as the president of this important organization from 2011 to 2012.
What is She Working on Now?
In 2018, Esther Takeuchi's company received a big grant of $12 million. This money came from the Department of Energy. Their goal is to create new batteries that can store a lot of energy and also release it quickly. This has been a very difficult challenge for scientists.
These new batteries could be used in many exciting ways. They could power electric vehicles (EVs) that run on electricity instead of gasoline. They could also store energy from solar energy systems and large renewable energy farms.
Her company is also working with partners like Mercedes-Benz. One project aims to increase the energy stored in the negative part of electric vehicle batteries. Another project focuses on increasing energy in the positive part. A third project is about making electric vehicles charge much faster. All these efforts will help electric cars travel further. This will make EVs a much better choice than traditional gasoline cars.
Her Big Idea for the Future
Esther Takeuchi has a vision for the future. She wants to create a special institute that brings together different groups. This institute would include Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and government funding. It would also involve money from industries and charities. This new institute would focus on solving big problems related to energy and the environment.
Her Most Important Invention
Esther Takeuchi is famous for her invention that helps people with heart problems. Millions of people around the world rely on devices called implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). These devices are placed inside the body. They help people whose hearts beat too fast or unevenly.
For ICDs to work well, they need a small, reliable power source. Esther Takeuchi's invention made this possible. She created a new type of battery technology. This battery uses a special material called silver vanadium oxide (SVO) for its positive part. It also has a very good liquid part (electrolyte) that conducts electricity. Plus, the battery has a new design that allows it to give out a lot of power.
These SVO batteries are very powerful and small. They also last a long time. These features are perfect for ICDs. Every year, more than 300,000 ICDs are put into people. The silver vanadium oxide battery is the main battery used in these devices.
Why Her Battery is So Important
SVO batteries can last for about five years. Other types of batteries used before only lasted about one year. Since the battery is inside the body, how long it lasts is very important. If older batteries were used, patients would need surgery every year to replace them. With SVO batteries, people don't need surgery as often. This makes life much better for them. These SVO batteries were first used in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They are still widely used and very important today.
Awards and Honors
Esther Takeuchi has received many important awards for her work:
- European Inventor Award in the "non-EPO countries" category, from the European Patent Office (EPO), 2018
- E.V. Murphree Award in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, from the American Chemical Society, 2013
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering, 2004
- Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, 1999
- National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 2008 - for inventing the silver vanadium oxide battery that powers implantable cardiac defibrillators
- Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2011
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2021
- NAS Award in Chemical Sciences, 2022
Books She Has Written
- Vanadium: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Practical Applications / Edition 1, by Alan S. Tracey, Gail R. Willsky, Esther S. Takeuchi
See also
In Spanish: Esther Takeuchi para niños
