Statement By Research!America President And CEO Mary Woolley On 2019 Nobel Prize In Chemistry
Research!America congratulates the 2019 Nobel awardees in Chemistry, who richly deserve this honor for their groundbreaking work in the area of materials science and engineering. The awardees — John B. Goodenough, PhD, chair in engineering at The University of Texas at Austin; M. Stanley Whittingham, PhD, distinguished professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York; and Akira Yoshino, honorary fellow at Asahi Kasei Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, and professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan — made remarkable strides in science and engineering with the development of the lithium battery, which is emblematic of the ways in which science and engineering can empower transformative economic and societal progress.
Starting with Whittingham’s work from the 1970s, these three scientists have built on each other’s work to contribute in dramatic ways to our ability to access and make productive use of alternative energy. Both Dr. Whittingham and Dr. Goodenough have received National Science Foundation funding to help support their ongoing, high impact work, exemplifying the role of federal research funding in catalyzing and amplifying the beneficial economic and societal impact of scientific and engineering discovery.