RIT Scientist to Work in Support of National Hydrogen Fuel Initiative

A scientist from the Rochester Institute of Technology is currently working on hydrogen-storage research at one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s elite Centers of Excellence.

Thomas Gennett, a professor of chemistry at RIT, is one of four senior scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., who will work on projects in support of President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. The initiative envisions hydrogen-fueled and pollution-free vehicles that will reduce the nation’s reliance on coal, natural gas and foreign oil.

The DOE recently named the NREL laboratory at which Gennett works as a Center of Excellence for exploratory research in hydrogen storage on carbon materials. The other national laboratories involved in this first set of hydrogen initiatives include Los Alamos and Sandia.

This “grand challenge” to develop new technologies for the hydrogen program is broad reaching and has brought together notable scientists and several Nobel laureates to work on the projects.

A two-year, $400,000 grant from the Department of Energy supports Gennett’s research within NREL’s Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program. His work focuses on perfecting nanostructured carbon materials for hydrogen storage.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to work with the world-class scientists at NREL again, and am excited about the scientific endeavors ahead,” Gennett says. For more information about NREL and the Center of Excellence, please visit http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen.