Chemist James Barber to Give a Talk at Brookhaven Lab on How Photosynthesis Might Provide a Key to Future Energy Needs, April 18
March 14, 2005
UPTON, NY - James Barber, Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College, London, will give a BSA Distinguished Lecture titled, "The Structure and Function of Photosystem II: The Water-Splitting Enzyme of Photosynthesis," at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Monday, April 18, at 4 p.m., in Berkner Hall Auditorium. BSA Distinguished Lectures are sponsored by Brookhaven Science Associates, the company that manages Brookhaven Lab, to bring before the Laboratory community and the public topics of general interest. The lecture is free and open to the general public. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.
Barber's research aims to mimic one step in photosynthesis to produce hydrogen as a fuel. In photosynthesis, plants use sunlight to split water and combine its hydrogen with carbon dioxide to form organic matter and oxygen. Barber and colleagues from Imperial College used a technique called x-ray crystallography to illuminate the mechanism that underpins the photosynthetic water-splitting reaction. By analyzing these findings, the researchers believe it may be possible to learn how to recreate the process on an industrial scale, allowing hydrogen to be manufactured as a fuel.
"Hydrogen derived from the water-splitting in plants could be one of the most promising energy sources of the future," Barber said. "Unlike fossil fuels, it's highly efficient, low polluting and is mobile so it can be used for power generation in remote regions where it's difficult to access electricity."
After earning a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Wales and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the State University of Leiden in The Netherlands, Barber joined the academic staff of Imperial College in 1968. He was head of the Biochemistry Department and Dean of the Royal College of Science at Imperial College from 1989 to 1999, and he currently occupies the Chair named after the Nobel Laureate Ernst Chain, co-discoverer of penicillin.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Barber was awarded the prestigious Flintoff Medal by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2002. He has published over 300 research papers and reviews in the field of plant biochemistry, and he has edited 15 specialized books.
Call 631 344-2345 for more information about the lecture. The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.
2005-10289 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
