Iris M. Ovshinsky (July 13, 1927 – August 16, 2006) was an American businesswoman and scientist, and the co-founder of

Energy Conversion Devices Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) was an American photovoltaics manufacturer of thin-film solar cells made of amorphous silicon used in flexible laminates and in building-integrated photovoltaics. The company was also a manufacturer of Nicke ...

with her husband Stanford R. Ovshinsky, serving as its Vice President from its founding in 1960 until her death. Born Iris L. Miroy in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, she earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

Rossiter, Joe
Iris Ovshinsky: Partner in Energy, Life
''Detroit Free Press'', 2006-08-19. Retrieved on 2007-08-08. from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

in 1947, a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1950, and

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

in 1960McNeil, Taylor
A Couple of Energetic Accomplishments
Fall 2001. Retrieved on 2007-08-08. from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. She was first married to Andrew Dibner, with whom she had a son, Steven, and a daughter, Robin. Following her 1959 divorce from Dibner, she married Ovshinsky in 1962; the marriage brought her three stepsons, Ben, Harvey, and Dale. Mr. Ovshinsky was a prolific inventor, credited with inventing the

nickel metal hydride battery Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slow ...

, and amorphous materials used in a variety of products from flexible solar panels to rewritable CDs and DVDs. Disagreeing with his wife's downplaying of her contributions throughout their careers, Stan said she was a partner in everything they did, "a colleague and collaborator in my scientific activity. She's just too damn modest." Ovshinsky briefly appears in

Who Killed the Electric Car? ''Who Killed the Electric Car?'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Chris Paine that explores the creation, limited commercialization and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the ...

the documentary film which explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the 1990s. Ovshinsky died on August 16, 2006, aged 79, having suffered a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while swimming near her home in

Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Bloomfield Township is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a populatio ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ovshinsky, Iris M. 1927 births 2006 deaths American women biologists American women in business University of Michigan alumni 20th-century American women scientists People from Bloomfield, Oakland County, Michigan 20th-century American people 21st-century American women