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| Vol. 18, No. 29 | April 29, 1999 |
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| Vol. 18, No. 29 | April 29, 1999 |
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Stanford R. Ovshinsky of Troy, Mich., president an CEO of Energy Conversion Devices and the United Solar Systems Corporation, has been chosen as the 1999 recipient of the Karl W. Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit. The award, consisting of a bronze medal and a $40,000 prize, will be presented to Ovshinsky on Tuesday, May 11, at the University of Delaware. The award lecture, free and open to the public, begins at 4 p.m. and is entitled "Star-Kissed Energy for the New Millennium." The event will be held in Mitchell Hall, and will be followed by a reception.
Ovshinsky was selected for the award for pioneering the science of amorphous semiconductors resulting in the development of low-cost thin-film silicon solar cells for the conversion of sunlight into electricity.
He also is CEO of Ovonic Battery Company Inc. and a member of the Board of Managers of GM Ovonic, L.L.C. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of several other professional societies. Among his previous awards are the Diesel Gold Medal (Germany), Coors American Ingenuity Award, Toyota Award for Advancement and three honorary doctorates.
Ovshinsky is the fourth recipient of the Böer award, which is given in honor of Karl Wolfgang Böer, a longtime faculty member of the University of Delaware, founder of its Institute for Energy Conversion, and a distinguished scientist in the field of solar cells.
President Jimmy Carter received the first award in 1993 for his work in focusing world attention on solar energy. David Carlson received the second award in 1995 for his discovery and development of thin film amorphous silicon solar cells for the conversion of sunlight to electricity. Adolf Goetzberger was the third recipient of the award, in 1997, for his leadership in the international solar energy community.
