[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17561]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF JOSHUA MICHAEL BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2007

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
accomplishments of Joshua Michael Brown, the world's first person to 
earn a bachelor's degree in nanosystems engineering. Brown, a native of 
West Monroe, LA., graduated from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, 
LA., May 19, earning a degree in electrical engineering in addition to 
his history-making degree in the up-and-coming field of nanotechnology.
  Few universities in the United States offer a curriculum in 
nanotechnology, the science of manipulating materials on an atomic or 
molecular scale to build microscopic devices, and I am proud to say 
that Louisiana Tech, located in the 5th Congressional District of 
Louisiana, is one of those pioneering universities.
  In 2005, Louisiana Tech launched its nanosystems engineering degree 
program, becoming the first university in our Nation to offer such a 
degree. Recently, Louisiana Tech was ranked 10th in the Nation for 
commercializing nanaotechnology inventions by Small Times magazine, a 
trade periodical for micro and nanotechnologies.
  Surely, Brown's efforts as a Louisiana Tech scholar were a factor in 
the university's gaining this honor. While working toward his degree, 
Brown, along with Tech professor Chester Wilson, co-invented a device 
that is currently in the process of being patented. The invention is a 
nanocatalyst considered superior to those currently being used in the 
production of biofuels from biomass waste, an invention that is both 
exciting and inspiring as our Nation's top scientists and researchers 
continue to search for ways to increase the production of quality 
biofuels in the quest to lessen the United State's dependence on oil.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Joshua 
Michael Brown, whose knowledge and dedication to this revolutionary 
technology will be a great asset to the future of this field and to our 
longstanding commitment of keeping the United States on the forefront 
of science and technology.

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