CO-LABS and Gov. Ritter to honor top researchers

CO-LABS announced the winners of its 2010 Governor's Awards for High-Impact Research.

Honorees will receive the awards at a reception and dinner on Monday, Oct. 25. The event, which is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be at the UCAR Center Green Campus Building 1, 3080 Center Green Drive, Boulder.

CO-LABS, incorporated in 2007, is a consortium of federally funded scientific laboratories, universities, businesses, local governments, and community leaders organized to establish Colorado as a global leader in research, technology, and their commercialization.

Dr. Jack Morgan of Rangeland Resources and Soil Plant Nutrient Research Units, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, will receive the Climate Science award for his efforts to understand how semi-arid grasslands are responding to rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere.

The Energy Efficiency award will go to Dr. Satyen Deb of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He led a team that developed electrochromic windows, which allow natural light in while adding tint to reduce heat and glare. Use of the windows could cut energy use and reduce the cost of cooling buildings.

Nobel Prize laureate Dr. John Lewis "Jan" Hall of JILA (Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics) will receive the Foundational Technology award for his work with lasers and developing them as tools for ultra-precise measurements.

Dr. Lowell Miller and scientists U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Wildlife Research Center will receive the Natural Resources award for developing a single-shot, multiyear immunocontraceptive vaccine for use in female white-tailed deer. This new nonlethal management tool may help reduce overabundant deer populations in areas where traditional methods, such as hunting, are not allowed.

By Michael Davidson, Boulder County Business Report