2 Tuesday, May 5, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com New research center at the 'U' Federal funds will enhance study of alternative energy By STEPHANIE STEINBERG Daily News Editor Thanks to the United States Department of Energy funding a $19.5 million Energy Frontier Research Center at the Univer- sity, researchers will be better equipped to harness alternative energy forms. President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Reinvest- ment Act will provide funding for the research at the University over the next five years. Obama announced Monday at the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences that the EFRC at the University will be one of 46 research centers in the country. Two of these centers will be locat- ed in Michigan, with the other at Michigan State University. The EFRC will include a team of 22 researchers from the College of Engineering and the departments of Chemistry and Physics in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Thnwia teanter Ax. m1not Iii- n new building on campus, re ers will continue studies own laboratories. The center, titled Solar Conversion in Complex M will focus on developing n to convert energy more eff Project Director Peter chair of the Materials and Engineering departs the College of Engineeri the team of researchers w the conversion of sunlig electricity using thermal devices. He said common devices capture energy are not as, as they could be, and th energy is dissipated than w converted into electricity. "In the end, the idea is up with some design pri that will allow us to crea materials that can now beu another generation of devi have very high efficiency," Stephen Forrest, Un vice president for research rently developing low-cos ic solar cells made out of materials. He said solar has the potential to reduc dence on power primar plied by coal. A few University scient NP nnr.nor.noxx:i*h nth esearch- in their r Energy aterials, ew ways iciently. * Green, Science ment in ng, said ill study ght into electric s used to efficient at more hat gets to come nciples te new used for ces that In total, the solar panels atop the Dana building can generate 30 kilowatts of electric energy for the building. 420 Maynord St. Ann Arbor, MI48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com JAMIE BLOCK DAN NEWMAN Editor in Chief Business Manager jabocmcheu mb ,iesg,"naitcom CONTACT INFORMATION Newsroom Office hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11a.m. -2 a.m. _734-763-2459 NewsTips news@michigandaily.com tunrections crcti,,onsc,,nischiadilco LetterstotheEditor totedair ty "5"day.'com PhotoDepartment photo@michigandaily.com 734-764-0563 Arts Section artsage@michiandailycor Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com 734-764-6136 Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com 734-764-8585 Sales dailydisplay@gmail.com ClassifiedSales dailyclassited@gmai.com 734-764-0557 Finance tmdfinance@gmail.com EDITORIAL STAFF RoberttSoave ManagingEditor rsoave@trmich.edu ,ana~ade ManagingNewsEditor ASSOCIATEEDITORS: CaitlinSchneider, Stephanie Steinberg, Jasmine Zhu RachelVanailder Editorial Page Editor ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Patrick Zabawa ASSISTANT EDITOR: Erika Mayer Ryan Karte ManagingSports Editor ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Chatel Jennings David Riva ManagingArtsEditor driva@umnich.edu ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Jeff Sanford Maxcollins ManagingPhotoEditor Sara Boboltzsand StephanieFarr ManagingDesignEditors bobotzs@urnich edu and smnarroumich edu LaurentSchmandt Managing Multimedia Editor lachelse@uich.edu he said. across the nation. Udo Becker, like uranium, in a safe manner. iversity associate professor of geological "There are a lot of things you do h, is cur- sciences, is a senior researcher for not want to do in an experiment t organ- the EFRC at the University ofNotre - especially one that involves ele- f carbon Dame in Lafayette, Ind. He will be ments like plutonium and some- energy working to develop newstructures times neptunium - because it's e depen- that can be used as nuclear fuels potentially dangerous," he said. ily sup- and employed in. nuclear power "So if we calculate properties of plants. these then it's less dangerous." ists will Becker said the goal is to create Becker said the centers will be EFRCs new ways ofsynthesizing elements, beneficial for students interested in studying energy. "We will do a lot of educating r m b oundergraduate and graduate stu- dents to become knowledgeable in *wo ' Fthe field of actinide science, which niay actually be very important in * *nd g/ g *Ifuture employments," he said. Green said he hopes the researchers will accomplish much by the end of the fifth year and that the projects will lead to start-up companies as well as other propos- als to initiate new research. . He added that the economicben- efits from the center will be quite significant because the center will generate jobs for researchers and attract business from energy com- panies. "We anticipate having interac- 8:30 a.m. to Noon; tions with some of the solar com- panies around that have a very Thursday, May,, 2009; direct interest in advances that we Great Lakes Room, make," he said. While the EFRC may provide 4th Floor, Palmer economic gains, Becker said the ultimate purpose is to help solve Commons. the country's energy problems. "We need to think about how to come up with solutions to our future energy needs and also with solutions to get rid of. some of friat *the problems of our past energy usage," he said. BUSINESS STAFF Katie Jozwiak Kayla tafata MerylHulteng Ben English Classified Manager Layout Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available tree ot charge to all readers. Additional nopes may be picked p at the sDailys office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term I(anuary through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates aresubject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.