Four Trailblazing Women in Energy
Culture
The work that women do for our business and throughout our industry ensures that 色中色 is the nation鈥檚 leading energy provider and that we continue powering a cleaner and brighter future for our customers and communities.
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offers a chance to celebrate and honor the remarkable achievements and contributions of women who have shaped our past and present, and whose innovations will shape our future. This Women鈥檚 History Month, we鈥檙e highlighting four energy trailblazers. 听These talented and inspiring leaders paved the way for women in the energy sector and beyond. Their ingenuity and contributions have also served as a catalyst for the current energy transformation.
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Edith Clarke
Edith Clarke (1883-1959) was a pioneer as an electrical engineer. She invented a graphical calculator that helped simplify the calculations needed to solve long electrical transmission line problems. Clarke鈥檚 to build the turbine systems that convert waterpower into electricity inside the Hoover Dam and similar hydroelectric facilities. She was the first woman to hold a professional position as an electrical engineer, the first female professor of electrical engineering and the first woman to earn a master鈥檚 in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Clarke was also the first female engineer inducted into the .
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M谩ria Telkes
M谩ria Telkes (1900 -1995) was a biophysicist and one of the world鈥檚 most impactful in the solar energy sector, where she was both a leading advocate and inventor. Her work included the invention of the solar stove. She was also one of the first to build and develop solar-heated houses which paved the way for the solar energy market as it exists today. She earned the nickname the 鈥溾 because of her innovative efforts in solar-thermal storage systems.
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Denise Gray
Denise Gray is a in spearheading efforts in electrical and powertrain system controls for vehicles. She helped the battery systems at General Motors that were integral to the of the Chevrolet Volt, one of the first hybrid vehicles to reach the mass market. Her work has helped advance automotive and battery innovation along with sustainable energy solutions. Gray鈥檚 career has pushed EV battery technology forward by designing production battery systems for companies such as Volvo, Stellantis, and Ford. In 2019, she received the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Initiative鈥檚 presented by the U.S. Department of Energy and in 2022, was elected to the .
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Lei Cheng
Lei Cheng is a group leader for the听听at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She was previously a chemist at the听听and听听in its Materials Science division, where she developed materials for next-generation batteries.听Her work has focused on developing new, safer generation of batteries. Cheng鈥檚 research and efforts have contributed to helping advance the electric vehicle transportation sector while also integrating new renewable energy possibilities for the electric grid.听In 2018, she was received the听.
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