Eureka: Vote for renewable energy researcher

Brilliant young Sydney scientist Dr Vanessa Peterson of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has been nominated for a Eureka Prize People’s Choice Award for her working into one of the world’s biggest challenges - developing renewable, clean energy technologies.

Working in ANSTO’s Bragg Institute, Dr Peterson spends her days using neutrons produced by ANSTO’s state-of-the-art research reactor, OPAL, to better understand materials that store and deliver charge, particularly those for the transportation sector. These materials include batteries for use in electric vehicles, and alternative energy-systems based on hydrogen. 

Together, these materials could ultimately help us to make petrol engines redundant, with power produced from hydrogen resulting in clean water as the only by-product. Vanessa’s studies could ultimately help us to build better and environmentally-sustainable energy technologies for cars and the transportation industry. 

Her work has the potential to make petrol engines redundant, with power produced from hydrogen resulting in clean water as the only by-product. Despite her young age, Vanessa leads Australia’s Neutrons for the Hydrogen Economy research project, known as the Energy Project, in which ANSTO’s expertise and equipment is matched collaboratively with researchers from across the world. 

Vanessa, who grew up on the western-Sydney area of Green Valley, says an inspirational teacher helped guide her on the way to becoming a scientist. 

“I have always had an interest in science. When I was a child, I remember being amazed something like sunshine and dirt could be transformed by a plant into a piece of fruit, essentially storing energy that we could eat. 

One of my teachers inspired me to study science, suggesting I would be taught the process of learning, and that I could apply this to anything I chose to do,” Dr Peterson said. 

Outside of work, Dr Peterson is a passionate rock-climber, and hopes one day to have climbed on every continent. “Rock climbing is all about problem solving, so there are parallels between my work and what I do in my spare time.” 

 

Published: 12/08/2011

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