Yang Yang, holder of the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Chair in Engineering at UCLA, will receive an achievement award from the Chinese-American Engineers and Scientists Association of California at the group’s 2016 convention. The event takes place April 23 at Carnesale Commons on the UCLA campus.
Yang’s research has led to the invention of the inverted organic solar cells, transparent organic photovoltaic devices and to a greater understanding of polymer morphology and its influence on device performance. Along with fellow researchers, his lab has set several world records for power conversion efficiency in solar devices.
The keynote speaker during the event’s gala dinner is Steven Chu, a Nobel Laureate in physics and the U.S., Secretary of Energy from 2009 to 2013. Chu will receive a lifetime achievement award at the event. UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry Tzu-Yow Yang, an innovator in the field of finite element structural analysis who is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, will also receive a lifetime achievement award.
The event is co-sponsored by the UCLA Grand Challenges, which seeks to make Los Angeles sustainable in terms of energy, water and biodiversity by 2050.