Caltech's Harry Gray, who has recruited hundreds for a "Solar Army" that is working on better ways to store the sun's energy, will speak April 23 at the University of Delaware.

April 23: Jefferson Life Sciences Lecture

Caltech's Harry Gray to explain mission of '21st Century Solar Army'

TEXT SIZE

8:12 a.m., March 30, 2015--Harry Gray of the California Institute of Technology will explore new developments in solar energy storage when he delivers the Edward G. Jefferson Life Sciences Lecture at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 23, in the Trabant University Center Theatre.

Gray, the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and founding director of Caltech's Beckman Institute, will speak on "The 21st Century Solar Army" and its mission to harness more of the sun's energy.

Events Stories

June 5: Blue Hen 5K

University of Delaware graduates planning to attend Alumni Weekend are encouraged to register for the annual Blue Hen 5K walk and run, which will be held Sunday morning, June 5.

June 6-9: Food and culture series

The 20th annual June Lecture Series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UD in Wilmington will be held June 6-9. Titled 'June a la Carte,' this year's program focuses on great political documents, feminism, world politics and a Newark cuisine sampler.

"The sun is a boundless source of clean energy, but it goes down every night," Gray says.

Storing solar energy for use at night and other times of high demand is a significant challenge for the industry. Gray will discuss the molecular machines his research colleagues are developing to address that problem.

"Professor Gray's research has focused on understanding how Nature addresses energy transfer and storage," said Charles Riordan, deputy provost for research and scholarship. "He is most well known for developing a detailed understanding of how electrons flow through proteins. In his Jefferson Lecture, Professor Gray will describe how his research group is taking the lessons learned from these prior studies of natural systems to develop new technologies to store sunlight. These studies address one of today's grand challenges – using the sun's energy to power the planet."

Riordan, who has known Gray for 25 years, said he is one of the leading chemists of his generation and has received many international awards for his research and teaching.

"He is an engaging lecturer with a strong commitment to the education of young scientists," Riordan said. "As his picture suggests, he has a tremendous sense of humor and a quick wit."

The Edward G. Jefferson Lecture is named in honor of the late chairman and chief executive officer of DuPont, UD trustee emeritus and UD benefactor. It is endowed by the Unidel Foundation.

Article by Beth Miller

Photo courtesy of the UD Office of Research

News Media Contact

University of Delaware
Communications and Public Affairs
302-831-NEWS
publicaffairs@udel.edu

UDaily is produced by
Communications and Public Affairs

The Academy Building
105 East Main Street
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716 | USA
Phone: (302) 831-2792
email: publicaffairs@udel.edu
www.udel.edu/cpa