Hydrogen Day 2006 highlights hydrogen energy, fuel cell research

Hydrogen Day 2006 highlights hydrogen energy, fuel cell research

University Park, Pa. -- Hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell technologies will be highlighted at Penn State's 2006 Hydrogen Day, Nov. 14, at the Nittany Lion Inn. The one-day event includes poster sessions, panel sessions and keynote speakers from industry and academia.

"We are witnessing the global emergence of a 'hydrogen-based' fuel economy. A move toward hydrogen is motivated by the need to reduce environmental pollution associated with combustion of fossil fuels and diminishing petroleum reserves in the United States," said Bruce Logan, director of the H2E Center at Penn State and the Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering.

"New methods of producing energy must be found, and hydrogen can be an important component of a new, sustainable energy infrastructure," he added. "Hydrogen energy research has sprung to the forefront at Penn State University, where more than a hundred researchers are fully involved in developing new hydrogen energy and hydrogen fuel cell technologies."

At Hydrogen Day, more than 40 poster presentations on current research are expected from academic and industry researchers.

Panel speakers from Penn State and their topics are: Logan, direct hydrogen and electricity production from biomass using bacteria; Craig Grimes, professor of electrical engineering, on solar power and hydrogen; Chunshan Song, professor of fuel science on clean hydrogen from fuels: transition approaches; and Chao-Yang Wang, professor of material science and mechanical engineering, on improving fuel cell technologies.

Other speakers scheduled are: JoAnn Milliken, U.S. Department of Energy; Rob Friedland, senior vice president, Proton Energy; and Koudai Yoshizawa, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

Luncheon keynote speakers will be: Ed Kiczek, product development manager, Air Products and Chemicals Inc.; Nathan Lewis, California Institute of Technology; and Hideyuki Tamura of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. The dinner speaker is Dan Desmond, deputy secretary, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Information about Penn State's H2E Center is at http://www.engr.psu.edu/h2e online. Hydrogen Day information is at http://www.engr.psu.edu/h2e/News_and_Events/HydrogenDay/2006.htm online.

The program is free for Penn State faculty, staff and students. For industry participants, the registration fee is $125 after Oct. 24. Directions for registering are at http://www.mri.psu.edu/conferences/h2e online.

For more information on Penn State research partnerships, contact the Industrial Research Office at (814) 865-9519 or iro@psu.edu by e-mail.