TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A University of Alabama researcher whose work could lead to more affordable hydrogen-powered vehicles on the roadways has been recognized for his contribution to the overall efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Center of Excellence in Chemical Hydrogen Storage.
Dr. David Dixon, professor and Robert Ramsay Chair in UA’s department of chemistry, received a 2010 Hydrogen Program Research and Development Award for Outstanding Contributions to Hydrogen Storage Technologies earlier this month at the Center’s Annual Review Award Lunch in Washington, D.C.
The award recognizes Dixon’s work in computational chemistry in support of chemical hydrogen storage technologies under development by the Center.
His research has predicted reliable thermodynamics for thousands of compounds for hydrogen release and spent fuel regeneration, factors that could dramatically reduce the time and efforts required to design and develop new materials.
Dixon’s team at UA included Daniel Grant and Edward Garner, graduate students; Dr. Myrna Matus, a post-doctoral fellow; Minh Nguyen, a visiting professor, and Darryl J. Outlaw, Kevin Anderson, J. Pierce Robinson and Jacob Batson, undergraduate students.
The Chemical Hydrogen Storage Center of Excellence is a collaboration among multiple university and industrial partners across the country, including The University of Alabama, and with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington.
UA’s department of chemistry is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.
Contact
Angie Estes, communications specialist, 205/348-8539, ahestes@as.ua.edu
Source
Dr. David Dixon, 205/348-8441, dadixon@bama.ua.edu