Two minutes

The sunny side of research

Yes, Iowa has its share of cloudy, rainy and snowy days. But Vikram Dalal looks out his office window and sees a lot of sunshine that can be put to work powering our homes and offices.

Long title, longer career: Dalal is the director of Iowa State University's Microelectronics Research Center and the Thomas M. Whitney Professor in electrical and computer engineering. He's been studying solar power for more than three decades.

Cutting-edge research: Dalal is researching and developing discoveries in materials science and plasma chemistry that can improve hydrogen bonding to the silicon in thin solar cells. And that will improve the cells' performance and reduce a drop in their efficiency over time.

Intellectual property: The solar technology coming out of his lab should result in several patents, Dalal said. He already has 11 patents.

Sunshine, not bombs: It was 1972 when Dalal decided he didn't want to develop smart bomb technology for a defense contractor. He decided he'd study and develop solar technology instead.

-- Mike Krapfl
Vikram Dalal

"This is both challenging and interesting work. I find it is tremendously interesting, even after 34 years. And it helps humanity instead of killing it, which allows me to sleep at night."

Vikram Dalal

Dalal is an Iowa State University professor who teaches in the College of Engineering. More Two-Minute briefs.