Announcements

Announcing the Inaugural Robert Rose Education Award Recipient

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WASHINGTON—In celebration of National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day, aptly named for the atomic weight of element number one, hydrogen, American Councils for International Education is pleased to announce the inaugural recipient of the Robert Rose Education Award in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, Mr. Zachary Batts, a master’s degree student in chemical engineering at Purdue University.

Through the Rose Award, Mr. Batts will complete a nine-month residency on hydrogen safety research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington. PNNL is managed and operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy.

The award is a tribute to the late Robert Rose, who founded the US Fuel Cell Council (now the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association), the national trade association for fuel cell technologies. Mr. Rose is acknowledged worldwide for launching the Breakthrough Technologies Institute (BTI), an educational nonprofit organization, and for his 35-year leadership as an advisor to government agencies, congressional members, and NGOs as one of the first advocates for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

Zachary Batts
Zachary Batts, Purdue University

“I want to congratulate Mr. Batts on becoming the first recipient of the Fuel Cell Rose Education Award,” said Dr. JoAnn Milliken, director of the Rose Institute for Strategic Energy (RISE). “It is my great privilege to honor Bob Rose’s legacy by participating in the implementation of this award.”

Mr. Batts will begin his fellowship in January 2020 with a three-week engagement in Washington, DC, where he will serve as an intern at the US Department of Energy and meet clean energy startups, universities, and policymakers shaping hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Mr. Batts will then complete the fellowship at PNNL, working with H2tools.org, an internationally recognized portal for hydrogen and fuel cell related research.

Mr. Batts expressed excitement for the Rose Award. “Becoming the inaugural recipient of the Rose Award is a dream come true,” said Mr. Batts, who focuses on energy systems and processes at Purdue University. “Few people have the opportunity to work on something that the truly excites them–the Robert Rose Award is granting me this opportunity to launch a career in the emerging hydrogen fuel cells technology market.”

Administered by American Councils for International Education, of which Robert Rose was a board member for 19 years, the Rose Award aims to support future global leaders in the emerging technology areas of hydrogen and fuel cells.

American Councils President and CEO Dr. David Patton was thrilled to announce the first recipient of the Rose Award.

“Aligned with American Councils’ programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, it is an honor to announce the first recipient of this award in Bob’s name,” said Dr. Patton. “His contributions to the cutting-edge fuel cells field and his contributions to American Councils as a board member, it is an honor to announce Zachary Batts as the recipient of this award in his name–especially on National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.”

American Councils will announce plans for the 2021 Fuel Cell Rose Award in the first quarter of 2020. In the spirit of both international education and providing opportunities for US citizens, the next award will be open to doctoral and master’s students or recent graduates seeking to gain leadership skills to improve global collaboration and community-building in this emerging field. Exposing the next generation of scientists and engineers to cutting-edge capabilities and tools for hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure and safety R&D will allow them to apply best practices and lessons learned as they enter the workforce and propel the hydrogen fuel cells industry forward.

For more information, contact: Adrian Erlinger, Program Manager

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