Super Eco

Photo credit: Department of Energy

Steven Chu was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 28, 1948, the son of Chinese immigrants, Ching Chen Li and Ju Chin Chu. He and his two brothers were raised in Garden City, New York. After graduating from Garden City High School, Mr. Chu attained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester in 1970 and his Doctorate from The University of California at Berkeley in 1976.

He remained at Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher for two years before joining Bell Labs where he and co-workers carried out his Nobel Prize-winning laser cooling work. After leaving Bell Labs he became a professor of physics at Stanford University in 1987. Steven Chu served as the chair of the Physics Department at Stanford University from 1990 to 1993 and from 1999 to 2001. In 2004 he was appointed director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2004 during which time he also served as a Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkley. As head of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Chu put his own research on hold to marshal the lab's efforts on climate change.

Notable Eco Activity

Steven Chu was selected by President Barack Obama in 2008 to be his Secretary of Energy. Chu is the first Chinese American to hold the office of Energy Secretary and the second Chinese-American to be appointed to the Cabinet. He would also be the first Nobel Prize winner to serve in the Presidential cabinet.

In Chu, President Obama has an Energy Secretary who understands the gravity of and the threat posed by global climate change. The Department of Energy oversees all of the national laboratories and many of the nation's major physics labs, Chu not only has experience running a major federal science lab, but the lab he runs has also been been responsible for the development of a major portion of tax payer supported clean energy research technologies. Steven Chu has devoted himself and his career to developing clean, renewable energy sources in order to combat the grave effects of global warming.

Famous Quotes

"These elements of President-elect Barack Obama's plan will put us on a course to a better energy and environmental future, create new jobs and industries, restore US energy technology leadership, and help for the foundation for future economic prosperity ... It will be my primary goal as secretary to make the Department of Energy a leader in these critical goals."

• Steven Chu Details

  • Birth Date

    February 28, 1948

  • Born In

    United States

  • Home Page

    Unavailable

  • Lives In

    United States

  • Organizations

    Unavailable

  • Occupation

    Atomic Physicist/ Secretary of Energy nominee