Millennium Technology Prize to Dr. Shuji Nakamura

Posted on September 10, 2006  Comments (2)

Photo of Dr. Shuji Nakamura (from UC Santa Barbara)

The Millennium Technology Prize is a bi-annual award recognizing technology innovators created by a public private partnership in Finland. Finland understands the importance of technology advances for economic gains. Winners receive 1 million Euros. Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the web, received the first prize in 2004. The 2006 prize was awarded to Dr. Shuji Nakamura:

According to Professor Nakamura, we have only just begun to explore the vast number of opportunities presented by applications using LEDs and lasers. ”I hope the award of this prize will help people to understand that this invention makes it possible to improve quality of life for many millions of people. This is not just a source of light that makes enormous energy savings possible, it is also an innovation that can be used in the sterilisation of drinking water and for storing data in much more efficient ways.”

As LEDs can be powered by solar panels, lighting can be provided in remote areas of developing countries. In his speech, Professor Nakamura said that he will be donating part of the prize money to organizations that promote the use of LED lighting in such locations.

Related: blog posts on science and technology awards – Top prize for ‘light’ inventor – UC Santa Barbara Solid State Lighting & Display Center – Blue LED Inventor Shuji Nakamura on Rewarding Innovators in Japan

UC Santa Barbara press release on Dr Nakamura’s selection (larger photo available here):

I am very honored to receive this Millennium Technology Prize. The University of California has a motto; the English translation is ‘Let there be light.’ This is a very good motto for our university. It also could serve as a motto for my own research. I hope that, as a result of my work, someday there will be lighting in parts of the world where today there is not even electricity.

2 Responses to “Millennium Technology Prize to Dr. Shuji Nakamura”

  1. CuriousCat: Shaw Laureates 2007
    June 13th, 2007 @ 6:51 pm

    The Shaw Prize awards $1 million in each of 3 areas: Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences…

  2. CuriousCat: Electricity Savings
    June 30th, 2007 @ 4:00 pm

    Cutting back on electricity used for lighting (9 percent of residential usage nationwide) presents the quickest savings-to-effort ratio. The EPA estimates that changing only 25 percent of your home’s bulbs can cut a lighting bill in half…

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