In 2014, women are still vast under-represented in many areas of science and technology, it seems to be too much as a “man’s world”.
That is why we would like to take the chance to talk about a great female chemical engineer, professor, Chief Scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory and one of the most prestigious inventors of our time: Esther Takeuchi, who holds more than 150 US-patents, more than any other woman in the United States.
The following video documentary, developed by David Friedman for PBS, is an interesting portrait of this revolutionary woman, one of the members of member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame:
Takeuchi received, in 2010, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for her developments in long-lasting batteries that enabled implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs), technical solution which saved millions of lives by continuously monitoring heart rhythm and applying therapy as needed.
ICDs are the leading therapy for treating serious cardiac arrhythmia, with more than 300,000 lifesaving devices implanted every year.
Nowadays, batteries can last between 5 and 7 years, but with her team of investigation, Dr. Takeuchi is exploring how to improve batteries for biomedical application which could actually revolutionize treatment for some of the most serious and dangerous diseases.
In conclusion, the two key ideas guiding Esther Takeuchi on the future of innovation:
- The importance of patents. “Patents are one of the things that drive me”, she says. “Universities are beginning to understand that patents are as important to academic success as more traditional measures, ” she also affirm “such as peer-reviewed publications and external funding.”
- Diversity and inclusion of distinctive perspectives and backgrounds on the laboratories, such as women.
If you are curious, here you can find the patent: US7056358, “Method for using high rate lithium electrochemical cell containing SVO/CFchi/SVo sandwich cathodes having γ-SVO and mixture of γ-SVO/ε-SVO”.
