The Google Doodle for today is dedicated to the German glass chemist Marga Faulstich’s 103rd birth anniversary, but who was Marga Faultisch? Marga was born in Weimar on June 16, 1915, in Germany. Marga was hardworking and after graduating high school in 1935, she joined Schott AG as a graduate assistant. Schott AG is one of the most prominent manufacturers of optical and technical glasses in Europe. Faulstich worked with them for 44 years and she was the first woman executive at Schott AG. The doodle, designed by Sophia Martineck, an artist based in Berlin shows a caricature of Marga inspecting optical lenses around her.
Faultisch worked on the development of thin films during her early years at Schott AG. Her contribution is considered extremely significant- with manufactures of sunglasses, anti-reflective lenses and glass facades still using the research done at that time as the basis for the manufacturing process even today. Marga was an exceptionally competent woman. She quickly rose to the rank of a scientist at Schott AG even though she only began as a graduate assistant. After 1942, Faultisch decided to study Chemistry but could not continue her studies because of the Second World War. Because Jena- Marga’s hometown was occupied by the Soviet authorities but the allied superpowers in West Germany wanted to get ahead in the field of glass and lens manufacturing, therefore technicians and scientists- including Marga, from Schott AG were brought to West Germany.
Marga continued her work on optical glasses, aiming to develop new kind of optical glasses with a focus on lenses for microscopes and binoculars. After retiring Marga decided to spend her time visiting different countries and giving lectures on about her research. She is also famous for developing the “SF 64” lens- used in lightweight spectacles. The American Industrial Research Council awarded her the IR100 for this invention. Her invention was included on the 100 most significant new technical products list. During the time Marga worked for Schott AG she worked on more than 300 types of optical glasses and she had approximately 40 patents to her name. Faultisch had to face a lot of hardships to become a leading glass chemist. Her adult years were not at all easy: she lost her fiance in the Second World War, then she had to move from Jena to Mainz. Nevertheless, Marga was persistent and opened the doors of Schott AG for many more female scientists to come. She passed away on 1 February 1998 at the age of 82 in Mainz, Germany.