Zachary Batts, a graduate student in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, is the inaugural recipient of the Robert Rose Education Award in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.

The Rose Award is presented in honor of the late Robert Rose, founder of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, the national trade association for fuel technologies. It is designed to aid in the support of future leaders in the developing technologies of hydrogen and fuel cells, and current or recent graduate students, and is open to students in STEM fields at the master’s, doctoral, or post-doctoral levels.

The Rose Award provides for an academic year residency at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) including a three-week orientation seminar in Washington, D.C., conducted by the American Councils for International Education in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy. Batts will take part in the orientation beginning in January 2020.

Batts anticipates the Rose Award will bring increased awareness to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and the contributions of Robert Rose. “I expect my internship and academic residency will provide an excellent foundation for my future career,” he said. “A Chemical Engineering degree is a great education for anyone who wants to pursue a career in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.”

As an Indiana native, Batts said Purdue was his first choice when considering universities. He earned his BSChE in December 2018, and will complete his M.S. in Chemical Engineering in December 2019. He plans to pursue a career in advocating for the safe and economical implementation of renewable energies and sustainable technologies.

Read the original announcement about the Robert Rose Education Award at https://www.americancouncils.org/news/announcements/announcing-inaugural-robert-rose-education-award-recipient.

Learn more about the Pacific Northwest National Lab: https://www.pnnl.gov/

Learn more about the U.S. Department of Energy: https://www.energy.gov/

Source: Zachary Batts, zbatts@purdue.edu

Writer: Makenna Fitzgerald, fitzge39@purdue.edu