SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today awarded the 2011 APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education (ASPIRE Prize) to Dr. Ali Javey of the United States. The ASPIRE Prize recognizes young scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication, and cooperation with scientists from other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies. 2011 marks the inaugural year for the ASPIRE Prize, which is sponsored by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and Elsevier, two of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly scientific knowledge. Dr. Ali Javey will receive prize money in the amount of $25,000.
“Dr. Javey’s work with nanomaterials is driving a new generation of solar energy technology,” said Dr. Patrick Kelly, Vice President and Publishing Director, John Wiley & Sons. “His collaboration with scientists across APEC, including in South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Singapore, demonstrates that the future of scientific innovation is global,” added David Ruth, Senior Vice President, Elsevier.
Secretary Chu, a distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997), honored Dr. Ali Javey at an awards ceremony during the APEC Joint Transportation and Energy Ministerial Conference. As the host of APEC this year, the United States selected the theme of “green growth” to guide nominations for the ASPIRE Prize, building on efforts by APEC to promote environmentally sustainable economic growth and development and help its economies to successfully transition to a clean energy future. Eleven APEC member economies nominated young scientists specializing in disciplines ranging from nanotechnology to nuclear safety. The winner was selected by the APEC Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG).
Dr. Javey is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the Co-Director of the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center. He has developed low-cost, flexible, and lightweight photovoltaic cells that can achieve a theoretical efficiency of 20% or more and can be easily rolled onto roofs and other surfaces. Dr. Javey has also developed transistor arrays that use a fraction of the power of conventional silicon transistors. He has collaborated with scientists across the APEC region and has 81 publications with over 5,000 citations in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Advanced Materials, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
“The ASPIRE Prize recognizes that science is global and that young scientists, collaborating and networking across borders, are a tremendous resource for good. This new generation of researchers in the APEC region hold the key to the knowledge and innovation that will drive economic prosperity and enhance human health and the environment,” said YoungSuk “Y.S.” Chi, Chairman of the Elsevier Management Committee.
“This is one of the most dynamic periods in scientific research, discovery and innovation in history. Regional and international collaboration, especially in the Asia-Pacific, has been critical to this growth, and we hope that the ASPIRE Prize will foster even closer regional research partnerships that will help us solve the most pressing shared challenges,” said Stephen M. Smith, Wiley’s President and CEO.
APEC Executive Director Ambassador Muhamad Noor said that the ASPIRE Prize builds upon APEC economies’ efforts to actively promote environmentally sustainable economic growth and their desires to help member economies successfully transition to a clean energy future.
“APEC is an important facilitator for the best scientific minds from both sides of the Pacific Ocean to work on the region’s most pressing issues including climate change, energy efficiency as well as sustainable forest management,” said Noor. “Science and technology is a field with infinite possibilities. More often than not, the best innovations and solutions come about when people from diverse backgrounds are brought together.”
APEC Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG) Lead Shepherd Wan Zaharah Wan Mohamad said that the ASPIRE prize is a symbol of APEC’s commitment to promote innovative research and development, knowledge sharing, and scientific collaboration in the region.
“The ASPIRE prize provides much needed recognition to the best scientists while continuing to nurture young scientists in the APEC region,” Wan Zaharah Wan Mohamad said. “The ASPIRE Prize raises the visibility of world-class research now being conducted by scientists collaborating across APEC member economies,” she said.
More information on the other nominees can be found at http://www.apec.org/aspire2011.
APEC facilitates economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region through the advancement of innovative R&D and technologies, knowledge sharing, enhanced international science and technology networks, and improved linkages between research and innovation. APEC’s 21 member economies account for approximately 41% of the world's population, 54% of world GDP, and 44% of world trade.
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 400 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology/Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace.
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A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).