Pryor said he and other Arkansas delegation members were able to secure $900,000 to support research into hydrogen technology and $500,000 for solar energy technology at UALR’s Nanotechnology Center of Excellence. The research dollars were included in the Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which is expected to be voted on by the Senate and sent to the President for his signature by the end of the week.

“Arkansans have experienced firsthand the effects of our nation’s single-minded energy policy in the form of rising fuel prices,” Pryor said. “Fortunately, scientists at UALR are at the forefront of promoting technologies that could lead us to a more diversified energy portfolio.”

Pryor said this funding would enable scientists to advance technologies that produce, store, and deliver hydrogen. Hydrogen holds great potential for future energy production, and UALR’s technology can be used to make this alternative energy source more cost-effective and accessible. He added that UALR’s nanotechnology researchers are also developing materials that could be applied to the surfaces of solar panels to halt the accumulation of dust and other particles that inhibit energy production. To achieve these goals, UALR’s Nanotechnology Center will work in collaboration with the National Center for Toxicology Research, NASA, and experts in the field of nanotechnology abroad.

“With rising global demand for energy and diminishing supplies of finite fossil fuels, our country has to prepare for the future energy marketplace,” Pryor said. “Among other highly promising applications within the fields of medicine and national defense, nanotechnology can help us develop the alternative energy sources that will help the United States maintain the vitality of its energy-dependent economy in the future. I’m pleased our efforts to support UALR’s cutting-edge research in this field were successful, and I look forward to their progress.”