FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2010
Contact: Will Jennings, 202-225-4076


Lincoln, Pryor, Berry, Snyder, Ross Announce $20M Investment In Renewable Energy Research at Arkansas’s Universities

Seven Arkansas Universities to Participate.

Washington – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02) and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority will receive a $20,000,000, five-year National Science Foundation grant to support renewable energy research at seven Arkansas universities.

The Arkansas Science and Technology Authority will use its funds to support three multi-campus research networks that will study three different types of renewable energy – plant biosynthesis, solar energy and nanotechnology. Funds will be used to purchase laboratory equipment and other supplies as well as provide stipends for Arkansas undergraduate and graduate students involved in this research.

The following Arkansas colleges and universities will benefit from this funding: the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in Conway, the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (UA-Fayetteville), the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UA-Fort Smith), Arkansas State University in Jonesboro (ASU-Jonesboro), the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), Philander Smith College in Little Rock and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB).

Funds will support the following multi-campus research centers that focus on different areas of renewable energy research:

The Center for Plant Powered Production or “P3 Center” will use funds to study plant biosynthesis and production of renewable biomaterials. Researchers at UCA, UA-Fayetteville, ASU-Jonesboro, UALR and UAPB will collaborate on this project.

The Center for Generating Renewable Energy with Efficient Nanoplasmonic Solar Cells or “GREEN Center” will use funds to study solar energy and make it more efficient. Researchers at UA-Fayetteville, UALR, UA-Fort Smith, Philander Smith College and UAPB will collaborate on this project.

The Vertically Integrated Center for Transformative Energy Research or “VICTER Center” will use funds to study nanotechnology that will be useful in making solar panels more energy efficient. Researchers at UA-Fayetteville, ASU-Jonesboro, UALR and UAPB will collaborate on this project.

“I am pleased to announce this substantial investment that will help Arkansas’s universities explore cutting-edge renewable energy sources and provide an exciting opportunity for students and researchers in our state,” Lincoln said. “It is important that we make investments in science and technology to ensure that Arkansas’s students are well-trained for the jobs of the future.”

“The renewable energy industry is a growing field with vast potential.  These federal dollars will fund critical research that will help Arkansas become a leader in green technology, creating jobs, helping the environment, and lowering energy costs for families and businesses,” Pryor said.

“It is a great honor for Arkansas universities to get to play an important role in research that will help create innovative sources of renewable energy,” Berry said. “I believe this builds a great foundation for Arkansas to become a leader in these research fields that will not only be a boon for our universities, but also for creating jobs as these new technologies take shape.”

“Kids today will witness revolutionary changes in how energy is created, distributed, used, and conserved,” Snyder said. “It is essential that Arkansas be in the middle of this transformative research.”

“We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil by making our nation more energy efficient and by investing in alternative and renewable sources of energy,” Ross said. “I am proud to help announce this investment in Arkansas’s public universities because they will help create jobs in the short term and save homeowners and taxpayers money in the long term.”

“The funds from this NSF award will provide infrastructure – both equipment and human resources – to create advanced research that will have a huge economic impact for the state,” said Gale McClure, Vice President of Sponsored Projects at the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.

-30-