Columbia University will become home to one of 46 new Energy Frontier Research Centers announced this week by the White House in conjunction with a speech by President Barack Obama to the National Academy of Sciences. The new centers, which will pursue advanced scientific research on energy, are being established by the U.S. Department of Energy at universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations and private firms across the nation.

The Columbia-led center—one of 16 to be funded by President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—will focus on the scientific and engineering basics necessary to achieve cost-effective and efficient solar cell systems. Up to $16 million in federal funding is planned.

New York Governor David A. Paterson (CC'77) has offered to seek up to an additional $500,000. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will contribute $250,000, and the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) has offered access to the supercomputers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.