Seventh-grader shines with solar cell research
William Yuan won a $25,000 scholarship for his graduate level work
BY CHRISTINA LENT – The Beaverton Valley Times
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Yuan worked on his project for the past two years with the encouragement of his science teacher Susan Duncan; support of his parents Gang Yuan and Zhiming Mei; and counsel of professional mentors Professor Chunfei Li of Portland State University’s Center for Nanofabrication and Electron Microscopy, Fred Li of Applied Materials Inc. and Professor Shaofan Li of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of California – Berkeley.
“He is our youngest fellow in science that we’ve ever had,” Moessner said. “He is really spectacular.
“His project will really make a difference in advancing the technology of solar cells. You would never know he’s 12 looking at the quality of his work.”
“Current solar cells are flat and can only absorb visible light,” he said. “I came up with an innovative solar cell that absorbs both visible and UV light. My project focused on finding the optimum solar cell to further increase the light absorption and efficiency and design a nanotube for light-electricity conversion efficiency.”
“This generation’s sense of urgency is much stronger than my generation’s,” his father said. “They are thinking about the future and want to know how environmental issues will impact their generation.”
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JAIME VALDEZ / THE BEAVERTON VALLEY TIMES
William Yuan, 12, will be recognized Sept. 24 for his invention of a highly-efficient, three-dimensional nanotube solar cell for visible and ultraviolet light.