An electrochemist and assistant professor in the Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics since the fall of 2006, recently received one of the most prestigious grants given to young professors.
Wei Zhan is the recipient of a five-year, $580,000 grant awarded by the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER. Zhan said he feels fortunate and lucky to have received the grant.
The grant will be used to further research on Zhan's proposal "Molecular Photovoltaics - A Lipid-Based Approach," which he began in 2007 as gas prices began to skyrocket.
"Of course I feel very grateful," Zhan said. "But I feel obligated to think very hard about how I can best use my money to get the most of the money to help the country. So many are without jobs, and I have received this money just to further my research, so it's a big responsibility."
Zhan is the fourth faculty member of the College of Sciences and Mathematics to receive one of the CAREER grants.
"[This grant] says something about the faculty members and the college: that we have the right environment to foster the relationship the NSF is looking for," said Marie Wooten, associate dean for research in the College of Sciences and Mathematics.
CAREER grants aren't just ordinary grants, however.
"CAREER grants are different than standard grants in that 50 percent of the grant is used for education and broader impacts, Wooten said. "You have to make a contribution through the grant and research that's going to affect the citizenry as a whole."
Wooten said the 50 percent of the grant that goes toward education is not a monetary half, but a half of the work completed in the project as a whole.
"Half of the grant is for scientific merit and half is for a broader impact on educational outreach that takes the discoveries from our lab to the public."
While Zhan said he has high hopes for the outside impact of his photovoltaics research, which concerns solar energy, he also realizes the reality of the world becoming a solar powered entity is far from being achieved.
"It's a big subject," Zhan said. "Up front I will say there are several layers of issues that we need to consider, but we want to develop devices that (will get us toward that goal and) are more efficient."
However, Zhan said there are ways that people can start making a difference now, especially in a developed country like our own, which consumes a large amount of the world's energy and fossil fuels.
"It's our obligation to make things better," Zhan said. "We can keep living this way and ignore the consequences which we know of, which is a very irresponsible way of living. Or we can do the only thing we really can do and change our living habits a little it and begin to respect our environment."
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