Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Named Winner of DOE's Lowry Award; Janos M. Beer's Contributions to Combustion Science Cited

12/5/2003

From: Drew Malcomb of the U.S. Department of Energy, 202-586-5806

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced that the Department of Energy's 2003 Homer H. Lowry Award will go to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor emeritus whose research in combustion science continues to be critical to the design and commercialization of high efficiency combustion systems widely used in the fossil fuel power industry.

Dr. Janos Miklos Beer, who has made a broad range of contributions to combustion science, will receive the 2003 award, the highest honor given by the Energy Department for outstanding contributions to fossil energy science and technology.

Secretary Abraham will present the award and $25,000 to Dr. Beer at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on January 30.

"Dr. Beer has made pioneering research and development contributions for 45 years to combustion science and technology of coal, oil, and gaseous flames," Secretary Abraham said. "He has also been a major influence on industry through his publications and lectures to professionals at national and international meetings, his leadership with students on university campuses, and his service as a consultant to many power and utility companies both in the U.S. and abroad."

Dr. Beer's research leading to commercial burners that control the fuel/air ratio and temperature during combustion to minimize nitrogen oxide emissions while maintaining high combustion efficiency has revolutionized many aspects of the technology.

Dr. Beer earned his economics and engineering degrees at the Jozsef Nador University of Technical and Economic Science in Budapest in the 1940s. He achieved his Ph.D. in 1960 and D.Sc. (Tech.) in 1968 at the University of Sheffield, England. He has headed divisions of several prestigious research facilities, including the Combustion Section at the Budapest Heat Research Institute and The Netherlands Research Station of the International Flame Research Foundation.

He served as Dean of Engineering 1973-76 at the University of Sheffield, England, and as Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Combustion Research Facility 1976-93.

Dr. Beer is currently Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Fuel Engineering at MIT. He is also a member of the National Coal Council, which provides guidance to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. His participation in this body provides profound insight into clean and efficient transformation of fossil fuels.

This is the seventh time the Energy Department has presented the Lowry Award since it was established in 1985. The award is named for Dr. Homer H. Lowry, an internationally known chemist who founded the Carnegie Institute of Technology's Coal Research Laboratories and who edited Chemistry of Coal Utilization, first published in 1945, which became the standard work of reference for coal scientists and technologists.

The Energy Department invited nominations for the award from the energy industry, academic institutions, and the public in February. Nominees were screened by a panel of private sector experts from both industry and universities. A Department of Energy Award Committee reviewed the panel's recommendations and forwarded the name of its recommended candidate to the Secretary of Energy.