Published on 01/31/2009

Steven Chu, Nobel Prize winner and Obama’s energy minister, has named Croatian physicist prof. dr. Davor Pavuna as one of the reviewers of projects at the U.S. Department of Energy. Reviewing projects for the DOE will be an enormous challenge because it will focus on avant-garde research that, among other things, includes new materials, high-temperature superconductivity, so-called green energy and green technologies.

Croatian visionary Davor Pavuna recognized by Nobel Laureat and Obama's team

prof. dr. Davor Pavuna

Steven Chu, Nobel Prize winner and Obama’s energy minister, has named Croatian physicist Davor Pavuna as one of the reviewers of projects at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Croatian Jutarnji list daily reported.

- This is a great honour for me. In layman’s terms, it is as if the manager of the Brazilian football team chooses Slaven Bilic as advisor for selecting players – Dr Pavuna said. He will travel to Washington in less than a month for consults about the project.-.--.-Scientist

The U.S. Department of Energy last year had a budged of some 24 billion dollars. A radical turn in the sector’s policy is expected. By choosing Steven Chu as energy minister, Obama announced changes because before now, Nobel Prize winners had advisory roles in the government, never executive roles.

Enormous challenge for Pavuna

Chu is known for his adamant fight against climatic changes and advocates renewable sources of energy. America will not, as it has done in the past eight years, boycott global efforts to decrease the emission of greenhouse gasses that lead to global warming, analysts believe.

- Reviewing projects for the DOE will be an enormous challenge because it will focus on avant-garde research that, among other things, includes new materials, high-temperature superconductivity, so-called green energy and green technologies – Pavuna told the Jutarnji list daily.

Pavuna, 57, graduated from the Science and Mathematics Faculty in Zagreb. He got his doctor’s degree from Cambridge University. He additionally specialised in France, Australia, America and India. He has lived the past 22 years in Lausanne, where he is a physics professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale. Pavuna published more than 150 scientific papers and a text book on superconductivity in English. He is also a potential candidate for director of the “Rudjer Boskovic” Institute in Zagreb.

US President Barack Obama looks on as Steven Chu speaks after being introduced as Obama's Energy Secretary.

Op-ed

Isn't it time that Croatia starts to recognize its own talent? Isn't it time that Croatia finally addresses the issue of energy independence? Not gas. Not oil. Neither from Russia nor from Africa. Our own renewable resources. Isn't it time for Croatia to trust its own people who are so welcome all over the world, but so questionable at home? Isn't it time that we start to participate in the creation of a "smart country", like smart houses, where energy is preserved, produced and renewed at home, in our own backyard? Isn't it time that we have our own banks, that are like the energy or blood of the financial industry?

Bravo Davor. You did not become brilliant today. Today you have been acknowledged by those who knew it all along. Your integrity = your talent. We who know you even a little bit celebrate and hope that the eyes, of those who pretend not to be blind, simply open.

Nenad N. Bach
New York, January 31, 2009

Source: http://www.javno.com/en/croatia/clanak.php?id=229725

Formated for CROWN by Nenad N. Bach
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