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ERA Science Board Member Dr. Roberto Peccei recieves the 2013 J. J. Sakuai Prize

Stuart Wolpert

Professor Roberto Peccei has been selected to receive the American Physical Society’s (APS) 2013 J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, awarded annually to recognize and encourage outstanding achievement in particle theory. He received the award at the APS meeting in April 2013, along with his Stanford University colleague, Helen Quinn.

An internationally renowned theoretical particle physicist, Peccei is the first UCLA recipient of the Sakurai prize, named in honor of a late UCLA physics colleague.

A major contribution to physics is the Peccei-Quinn Symmetry, an elegant theory that ties together several branches of physics and has important implications for our universe. The Peccei-Quinn Symmetry predicts the existence of very light particles called axions, which may nevertheless be the dominant source of mass in the universe. Axions may be the mysterious "dark matter" that account for most of the matter in the universe.

The citation for the J.J. Sakurai Prize recognizes the Peccei-Quinn theory as "the elegant mechanism to resolve the famous problem of strong-CP violation which, in turn, led to the invention of axions, a subject of intense experimental and theoretical investigation for more than three decades."

Peccei, a fellow of the American Physical Society and a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, served as UCLA’s vice chancellor for research, dean of physical sciences in the College of Letters and Science, and chair of UCLA’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. 

Born in Italy and raised in Buenos Aires, Peccei came to the United States to attend MIT as a physics undergraduate. He earned his master’s at New York University and returned to MIT, where he earned his Ph.D. in physics in 1969. After a brief period of postdoctoral research at the University of Washington, he joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1971. In 1978, he joined the staff of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany. He became the head of the Theoretical Group at the Deutsches Elektron Synchrotron laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, in 1984 before joining UCLA’s faculty in 1989.

He has served on numerous editorial and advisory boards in both the United States and Europe.

- From UCLA Today

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Global Top 50 Project Prize
June 20, 2013
ERA Editor

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known" – Carl Sagan

Environmental Research Advocates annually recognizes the “Global Top 50” leading science projects in renewable energy technology, as determined by our Science Advisory Board. Of these 50, the top two submissions will receive a monetary prize. All of the “Global Top 50” projects will be featured on our website, and promoted by ERA media, with the purpose of linking potential investors to the groundbreaking science.

Check back soon for information regarding the project submission process for the 2014 “Global Top 50” prize.

Please contact info@erascience.org for questions and information

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Paul Weiss, Friend of ERA and Director of the California NanoSystems Institute, Hosts Guest Lecture
May 28, 2013

Environmental Research Advocates is proud to have played a role in the introduction of David Fransen, Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, to Paul Weiss, California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI).  This relationship has resulted in the establishment of annual Canada Fulbright Chairs at CNSI.  The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 with the mission to enable academic exchange and public diplomacy between countries. Fulbright Canada, which recently celebrated its 20th year, aims “to enhance mutual understanding between the people of Canada and the people of the United States of America by providing support to outstanding individuals. These individuals conduct research, lecture, or enroll in formal academic programs in the other country” (Fulbright Canada Mandate).

Canadian Fulbright Scholars discussed nanotechnology applications in the renewable energy and biomedical fields on May 14, 2013 in Westwood, CA.

Ted Sargent and Shana O. Kelley, recipients of the 2012-13 Canadian Fulbright Scholar Awards, presented their research on nanotechnology to a group of students, professors and scientists at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. Their groundbreaking work involves the application of nanotechnology to developing solar energy and biomedical technologies.

Ted Sargent, a Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, holds the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at CNSI UCLA, focusing his research on inorganic colloidal Quantum Dot solar cells. Quantum dots are nanotechnology-produced semiconductors, and are a potential replacement for the silicon semiconductors that are generally used in photovoltaic cells. Incorporating Quantum Dots in solar cell synthesis poses potential advantages to renewable energy production; Silicon semiconductors convert light into electricity, but use a limited energy range of photons.  Dr. Sargent described his work developing tandem Quantum Dot solar cells, which are able to process a broader range of photon wavelengths – and even infrared light – into electricity, so less potential energy is wasted in the process. Dr. Sargent also works extensively with colloidal Quantum Dot solar cells, which are three-dimensional (as opposed to standard planar ones), and can convert photon energy with up to 7% energy transfer efficiency.  This research is a promising development in renewable energy technology as energy consumers search for more efficient and affordable solar panels.

The topic of the lecture switched from renewable energy to biomedical research when Shana O. Kelley, the special Fulbright Canada Fellow at CNSI UCLA , took the stage. Also a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, Dr. Kelley presented her research on applying ultra sensitive molecular detectors to medical equipment. By using electro-chemical bio-sensing enabled by nanotechnology, Dr. Kelley hopes to create faster, cost-effective, and reliable diagnostic methods.

CNSI is a multi-disciplinary research program with locations at both UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Its mission is “to encourage university collaboration with industry and to enable the rapid commercialization of discoveries in nanoscience and nannotechnology.” Research at CNSI applies to four main areas: Energy, Environment, Health-Medicine, and Information Technology.  

Congratulations to Paul Weiss and to David Fransen for their combined vision in the creation of two Fulbright chair positions at CNSI UCLA.  We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank both Paul and David for their continued friendship and inspiration.

 

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Remembering John Hoagland, Died on May 1, 2013
May 8, 2013

John Hoagland, who was an ERA Science Advisory Board Member and the chairman of the J-Net Group and Ecology Communications, passed away on Wednesday May 1 surrounded by family at his home in Cape Cod. He will always be remembered for his passion for the environment, commitment to the church, and his loving devotion to his family.

Hoagland graduated from Yale University in the spring of 1951, where he pursued his interests in both poetry and singing as a member of the prestigious A capella group the Whiffenpoofs and the Glee Club. While at Yale, he met Sally Ray, who would become his beloved wife of 48 years. After spending 10 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, he began work as a research and marketing consultant, before taking over managing positions for the Christian Scientist Church’s television and newspaper media ventures. Hoagland went on to found Ecology Communications, an award winning producer and distributer of environmental programs for cable television, government and industry.

Following Sally’s passing, Hoagland married Netty Douglass, with whom he shared a loving relationship characterized by their love for the church, the environment and their family. Hoagland is survived by Netty, four children and nine grandchildren. 

We at Environmental Research Advocates extend our sympathies to the family, and join them in celebrating this great man’s life.

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ERA Science Board Member and Founder/CEO of Conservation International, Peter Seligman, hosts annual dinner in Beverly Hills
April 25, 2013

Conservation International's Founder, CEO and an Environmental Research Advocates Board Member, Peter Seiligmann, honored Disney and its commitment to conservation by presenting Disney Chairman Robert Iger with the Global Conservation Leadership Award.

CI's mission statement says it all: " Every person on Earth deserves a healthy environment and the fundamental benefits that nature provides. But our planet is experiencing an unprecedented drawdown of these resources, and it is only by protecting nature and its gifts – a stable climate, fresh water, healthy oceans and reliable food – that we can ensure a better life for everyone, everywhere."

 

Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Wirelmage

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Earth Day: A Landmark of our time
April 22, 2013

Each year, Earth Day -- April 22 -- marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. 

The idea came from Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. Inspired by the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara and the student anti-war movement, he realized the potential to put environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media. He persuaded Pete McCloskey, a  Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. "It was a gamble," Gaylord recalled, "but it worked."

As 1990 approached,  Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his role as Earth Day founder.

Earth Day 2010 brought 225,000 people to the National Mall for a Climate Rally, and, among other things, launched an international, 1-million tree planting initiative with Avatar director James Cameron.

The fight for a clean environment continues in a climate of increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day. ERA science fully supports Earth Day and honors the great activists who have shined a spotlight on the environment. We invite you to visit the Earth Day Network at www.earthday.org, to see what they have planned for Earth Day 2013.

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ERA Science Board Member, Steve Cohen, Director of Columbia University's Earth Institute moderates panel on Climate Change
April 16, 2013

The Earth Institute and International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) present a panel discussion, "Adapting to a Changing Climate: Managing Our Cities & Food Supply," with Lisa Goddard, Director, International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI); Sergej Mahnovski, Director, Mayor’s Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability; and Adam Sobel, Professor of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics and of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University.

The panel, moderated by Steve Cohen, Executive Director of The Earth Institute, Columbia University, will explore how science is enhancing society's ability to understand and manage the impacts of climate variability and change. We will look at predictions, projections, tools and programs from disasters relief, agricultural, and urban perspectives, as well as investigate what stakeholders can do to improve the process of using science to influence decisions.

Originally scheduled for the night that Hurricane Sandy hit NYC, this panel will discuss how lessons from Sandy can be applied to protect and strengthen resiliency across the globe. Originally scheduled for the night that Hurricane Sandy hit NYC, this panel will discuss how lessons from Sandy can be applied to protect and strengthen resiliency across the globe.

Source: The Earth Institute Columbia University

 

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Director of California NanoSystems Institute, Paul Weiss, presents exciting new solar technology
April 15, 2013

ERA Science friend, Paul Weiss, and UCLA researchers have developed a new highly transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. Their study appears in the journal ACS Nano.

The UCLA team describes a new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) that produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells nearly 70% transparent to the human eye. They made the device from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current.

"These results open the potential for visibly transparent polymer solar cells as add-on components of portable electronics, smart windows and building-integrated photovoltaics and in other applications," said study leader Yang Yang, a UCLA professor of materials science and engineering, who also is director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI).

Yang added that there has been intense world-wide interest in so-called polymer solar cells. "Our new PSCs are made from plastic-like materials and are lightweight and flexible," he said. "More importantly, they can be produced in high volume at low cost."

Polymer solar cells have attracted great attention due to their advantages over competing solar cell technologies. Scientists have also been intensely investigating PSCs for their potential in making unique advances for broader applications. Several such applications would be enabled by high-performance visibly transparent photovoltaic (PV) devices, including building-integrated photovoltaics and integrated PV chargers for portable electronics.

Previously, many attempts have been made toward demonstrating visibly transparent or semitransparent PSCs. However, these demonstrations often result in low visible light transparency and/or low device efficiency because suitable polymeric PV materials and efficient transparent conductors were not well deployed in device design and fabrication.

A team of UCLA researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and UCLA's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have demonstrated high-performance, solution-processed, visibly transparent polymer solar cells through the incorporation of near-infrared light-sensitive polymer and using silver nanowire composite films as the top transparent electrode. The near-infrared photoactive polymer absorbs more near-infrared light but is less sensitive to visible light, balancing solar cell performance and transparency in the visible wavelength region.

Another breakthrough is the transparent conductor made of a mixture of silver nanowire and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which was able to replace the opaque metal electrode used in the past. This composite electrode also allows the solar cells to be fabricated economically by solution processing. With this combination, 4% power-conversion efficiency for solution-processed and visibly transparent polymer solar cells has been achieved.

"We are excited by this new invention on transparent solar cells, which applied our recent advances in transparent conducting windows (also published in ACS Nano) to fabricate these devices," said Paul S.Weiss, CNSI director and Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences.

Study authors also include Weiss; materials science and engineering postdoctoral researcher Rui Zhu; Ph.D. candidates Chun-Chao Chen, Letian Dou, Choong-Heui Chung, Tze-Bin Song and Steve Hawks; Gang Li, who is former vice president of engineering for Solarmer Energy, Inc., a startup from UCLA; and CNSI postdoctoral researcher Yue Bing Zheng.

 

Transparent solar cells. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of California - Los Angeles)

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ERA Science Board Member, Burton Richter, is honored by President Obama at the White House
April 10, 2013

President Barack Obama greets Fermi Award recipients Dr. Burton Richter, right, and his wife Laurose, and Dr. Mildred S. Dresselhaus, third from right, and her husband Gene, in the Oval Office, May 7, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The best science is as much about service as it is about discovery.  And that’s especially true for two of our Nation’s most accomplished researchers, who were honored Monday for devoting their lives not only to doing great science but also to teaching and mentoring, public service, and inspiring others.

The two awardees, Drs. Mildred Dresselhaus and Burton Richter--after visiting with President Obama in the Oval Office--were joined by distinguished guests at the Ronald Reagan International Center as Secretary of Energy Steven Chu honored them as winners of the Enrico Fermi Award.

A Presidential award, the Fermi Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. Government. It is administered by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to honor individuals who have given unstintingly over their careers to advance energy science, and to inspire future scientists to follow their example.

Dr. Dresselhaus made many discoveries that deepened our fundamental understanding in condensed matter systems. She has also served in a variety of scientific leadership roles, including as the Director of the DOE Office of Science and President of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition, Dr. Dresselhaus has devoted great energy to mentoring students, raising community awareness about science, and promoting progress on gender equity. She is widely respected as a mentor and spokesperson for women in science.

Dr. Richter has done pioneering work in the development and use of accelerator technologies that have contributed to several Nobel Prizes—including the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physics that he shared with Dr. Samuel C.C. Ting for the discovery of a new kind of heavy elementary particle. Dr. Richter also provided visionary leadership at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (today’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) from 1984 to 1999, where he helped lead advances that not only yielded new discoveries in particle physics but also laid the foundation for major new strides in photon science. Since then, Dr. Richter has served as a leader in many other positions involving public policy and science and technology.

Drs. Richter and Dresselhaus both opened new scientific and technical horizons. But, equally important, they have been generous with their scientific knowledge and their wisdom. We are proud to salute them, winners of the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award.

 
Source: The White House: Office of Science and Technology Policy

 

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Welcome
April 9, 2013
ERA

Our mission is to fund, support, and acknowledge environmental research projects on a global level.

We would like to extend our great appreciation to the law firm and partners of Glaser Weil Fink Jacobs Howard Avchen and Shapiro LLP for their continuing support.

Our website provides the latest international news on the alternative energy sector, features exciting new technologies, and provides insights and blogs of leading scientists from our august Science Advisory Board. Check back often for announcements, updates and application information regarding the 2014 ERA Science Prize.

Each year ERA Science will identify the "Global Top 50" projects in renewable energy technology, as chosen by our Science Advisory Board. To learn more about the application process, click here.

A special thanks to the talented team of Ann Zumwinkle and Mike Bilz of Zumwinkle.com for the design and develpment of the Environmental Research Advocates website.

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