[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 175 (Monday, November 17, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10558-S10559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATING WILLIAM YUAN

 Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate a 
young man who has not only achieved beyond his years but has also 
advanced the state of the art of solar power technology. William Yuan 
of Beaverton, OR, is a seventh grader at Meadow Park Middle School 
whose achievements are both jaw-dropping and important.
  Recently, William earned a $25,000 scholarship from the Davidson 
Institute and became a Davidson Fellow for his work in renewable energy 
research. William's project, ``A Highly-Efficient 3-Dimensional 
Nanotube Solar Cell for Visible and UV Light,'' featured a novel solar 
panel that enables light absorption from visible to ultraviolet light. 
The carbon nanotubes William designed can overcome the barriers of 
electron movement, doubling the light-electricity conversion 
efficiency. His optimized design provides 500 times more light 
absorption than commercially available solar cells and nine times more 
than the cutting-edge, three-dimensional solar cell.
  Given the current energy crisis, everyone must pitch in to reduce our 
dependence on oil consumption. In Congress and in the private sector, 
we are working to facilitate advancements in renewable energies. 
However, we cannot be successful without brilliant minds like 
William's.
  Winning the Davidson scholarship is far from William's only 
achievement. This year alone, William won second place at the Northwest 
Science Expo, Best Engineering Project at the Institute of Electrical 
and Electronics Engineers, and second place at the Oregon Chess for 
Success State Tournament. The list goes on. Last year, William also 
received a junior black belt pum certification from the World Taekwondo 
Headquarters in Seoul, Korea. He has also received a number of awards 
from various Intel Oregon competitions and First Place in Oregon in the 
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Talent Search in both 
quantitative and verbal sections.
  At 12 years old, William is only just getting started. He intends to 
continue his research in renewable energy and eventually select a major 
for his college study toward a Ph.D. degree. John F. Kennedy once said:


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       Our nation's first great leaders were also our first great 
     scholars.

  I look forward to watching William progress as a scholar and a 
leader.

                          ____________________