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 is a brilliant scientist and engineer. She works with materials to create amazing energy storage systems. These systems include special batteries that power medical devices inside the human body. She is a respected professor at Stony Brook University. She is also a lead scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Dr. Takeuchi holds more than 150 patents in the United States. A patent is like a special license that protects an invention. She once said that batteries have been invented and "reinvented over 100 times."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Esther Takeuchi was born Esther Sans. Her parents, Mary and Rudolf Sans, were refugees from Latvia. They had to leave their home in 1945 because of the Second World War. They lived in a refugee camp in Germany for several years. Later, they moved to the United States.
Esther went to the University of Pennsylvania. She studied chemistry and history there, graduating in 1975. After that, she continued her studies at the Ohio State University. She earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1981.
While studying, she met Kenneth J. Takeuchi. They got married on May 15, 1982.
Career in Battery Innovation
After finishing her studies, Dr. Takeuchi worked at 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.
She also worked on batteries for many other important devices. These included neuro stimulators and systems that deliver medicine. She also developed batteries for pacemakers. Pacemakers are small devices that help regulate heartbeats. Her work also included industrial batteries. These batteries had to work well in very hot places or where there was a lot of shaking.
In 2007, she started teaching at the University at Buffalo. She became 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 achievements in industrial and engineering chemistry. Dr. Takeuchi is also a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society. She even served as the president of this organization from 2011 to 2012.
Developing New Energy Solutions
In July 2018, Dr. Takeuchi's company received a large grant. It was $12 million from the Department of Energy. Their goal is to create new batteries that can store a lot of energy. They also want these batteries to provide a lot of power quickly. This has been a difficult challenge for scientists.
These new batteries could be used in electric cars. They could also help store energy from solar power systems. Her company is working on projects with partners like Mercedes-Benz. One project aims to increase the energy in electric vehicle batteries. Another project focuses on making electric cars charge much faster. These improvements will help electric cars travel further. They will also make electric cars a better choice than gasoline cars.
Vision for the Future
Dr. Takeuchi dreams of creating a special center. This center would bring together different groups. It would include Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Lab. It would also involve government funding, industry, and charities. This center would focus on energy and the environment.
Life-Saving Battery Technology
Dr. Takeuchi is famous for her work on batteries for implantable cardiac defibrillators. Millions of people around the world rely on these devices. These devices need small, reliable power sources. Dr. Takeuchi's invention made this possible.
She developed a new type of battery technology. It uses a special material called silver vanadium oxide (SVO). This battery is very powerful and small. It also lasts a long time. These features are perfect for cardiac defibrillators. They help people whose hearts beat irregularly.
Every year, over 300,000 of these devices are put into people. The SVO battery is the main battery used in them. These SVO batteries can last for about five years. Other types of batteries might only last about one year. Since these devices are inside the body, a long battery life is very important. With SVO batteries, patients do not need surgery as often to replace the device. These SVO batteries were first used in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They are still widely used today.
Awards and Recognition
- European Inventor Award in the "non-EPO countries" category, presented by the European Patent Office (EPO), 2018
- E.V. Murphree Award in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2013
- Elected, National Academy of Engineering, 2004
- Fellow, 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
- Inductee, National Inventors Hall of Fame, 2011
- Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2021
- NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (2022)
Books
- 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
