Marga Faulstich facts for kids

Marga Faulstich (born June 16, 1915 – died February 1, 1998) was a German chemist who specialized in glass. She worked for a company called Schott AG for 44 years. During her time there, she helped create more than 300 different kinds of optical glasses. She also had 40 patents registered in her name. Marga Faulstich was the very first woman to become an executive at Schott AG.

Early Life and Career

Marga Faulstich was born in Weimar, Germany, in 1915. She grew up with two siblings. In 1922, her family moved to Jena, where she went to secondary school. After finishing high school in 1935, she started training at Schott AG. This company was a top maker of special optical and technical glasses in Europe.

In her first years at Schott AG, Marga worked on developing very thin layers of material, called thin films. The discoveries she made back then are still used today. For example, they help make sunglasses, anti-reflective lenses, and even glass for buildings.

Advancing in Glass Research

Marga Faulstich was a very talented young woman. She quickly moved up in her career at Schott AG. She started as a graduate assistant, then became a technician, a scientific assistant, and finally a scientist.

Her fiancé sadly died during World War II. After this, she focused completely on her work. In 1942, she began studying chemistry while still working at Schott. However, she could not finish her studies. The situation in Germany changed a lot after World War II.

Moving West and New Discoveries

At that time, the most advanced glassmaking factory in the world was in Jena. After the war, Jena was in the Soviet occupation zone. Marga Faulstich was one of 41 experts and managers from Schott AG who were moved to the western part of Germany.

In 1949, a new research laboratory was built in Landshut for these specialists. The Jena factory was taken over by the government in 1948. Because Germany was divided, a new main factory for Schott AG was built in Mainz. It was made especially for the "41 glassmakers" from Jena.

The new factory opened in 1952 on the edge of Mainz. Here, Marga Faulstich continued her research. She worked on creating new optical glasses. She focused especially on lenses for microscopes and binoculars. Besides her research, Marga also managed a special melting process for glass.

Later Years and Legacy

Marga Faulstich became famous around the world for inventing the lightweight lens SF 64. She received an award for this invention in 1973. In 1979, she retired after working at Schott AG for 44 years.

After retiring, she traveled to many different countries. She also continued to give talks and presentations at glass conferences. Marga Faulstich passed away on February 1, 1998, in Mainz. She was 82 years old.

On June 16, 2018, Google honored Marga Faulstich with a special Google Doodle on its homepage. This celebrated what would have been her 103rd birthday.

See also

In Spanish: Marga Faulstich para niños