[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 10 (Thursday, January 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR NOZIK, SARAH KURTZ AND JERRY OLSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED PERLMUTTER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 18, 2007

  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize three 
researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the premier 
national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency 
research.
  The American Chemical Society recently honored Arthur Nozik, a senior 
research fellow at NREL, with a special tribute of accomplishments in 
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.
  During the past 30 years, Dr. Nozik has earned a leading position in 
the fields of photoelectrochemistry, semiconductor-molecule interfaces, 
nanoscience and quantum size effects in semiconductors and carrier 
dynamics in semiconductor quantum dots and quantum wells. He has 
written more than 160 peer-reviewed publications, 35 book chapters and 
has edited or co-authored several books in these fields.
  Dr. Nozik has been awarded 11 U.S. patents. He also invented a novel 
photochemical diode for splitting water to generate hydrogen, and the 
identification of several important solar photoconversion approaches 
using hot carrier effects, size quantization, and superlattice concepts 
that could, in principle, enable a leap in efficiency of solar energy 
conversion.
  Dr. Nozik, who joined NREL in 1978, received the 2002 Energy Research 
Award of the Electrochemical Society. He was a senior editor of The 
Journal of Physical Chemistry from 1993-2005 and is a fellow of both 
the American Physical Society and the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science.
  NREL solar energy researchers Sarah Kurtz and Jerry Olson have spent 
the past 20 years developing the multi-junction solar cell. These solar 
cells have demonstrated higher solar energy conversion efficiency than 
conventional silicon cells and are already the choice for most space 
applications. For their contributions to the field of photovoltaic 
energy, Kurtz and Olson have been recognized as laureates of the Dan 
David Prize, given by the Dan David Foundation in cooperation with Tel 
Aviv University and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. 
They and other winners will share $3 million in prize money.
  The photovoltaics community has made tremendous progress during the 
last 30 years. In the past few years, the investment in concentrator 
systems using high-efficiency, multijunction solar cells has 
mushroomed. Although this investment is not yet reflected by large 
installations, the Dan David prize recognizes this technology for its 
future promise to transform energy markets.
  I'm enormously proud to have NREL in my district and equally proud of 
the work of these three scientists.

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