More Information on the 2005 SCIPOY Awards:

• Further endorsements of Yuh Shiohara
• Further endorsements of Seung Hong
• More about superconductors
• More about the awards panel
• More about the awards
• Download release in PDF format

Back to press release

Further Endorsements of Yuh Shiohara

"The impact of Dr. Shiohara's leadership and vision is apparent everywhere in Japan," stated Amit Goyal, Leader of the Superconductivity Materials Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. "He is responsible for the entire Japanese project on 2nd generation (2G) coated conductors. He developed a plan and vision for the project, and advocated on behalf of the labs, universities, and private companies involved to the Japanese government. The fruits of his vision for the Japanese national program are now beginning to show. Besides the impressive progress reported by ISTEC in 2005, the two major wire manufacturers in Japan, Fujikura and Sumitomo, are both making major strides towards realizing high performance reel-to-reel fabricated coated conductors. Continued technical leadership and vision such as that provided by Dr. Shiohara is necessary for the eventual realization of practical, large-scale applications of HTS materials."

Dean Peterson, Leader of the Superconductivity Program at Los Alamos National Lab, had this to say: "Dr. Shiohara's vision and advocacy for high temperature superconductors have benefited all other analogous research and development efforts by setting a standard by which all of us can be measured. His dedication and leadership is the primary reason that Japan now leads the world in producing coated conductors with the best length times critical current values. His ability to effectively coordinate many varied industrial, university, and governmental organizations is truly outstanding, as is his ability to describe the superconductor progress to both technical peers and program sponsors. He has also provided critical reviews of superconductor development efforts within other nations, including America and Korea."

Guy Deutscher, Professor of Physics at Tel Aviv University, stated: "As a frequent reviewer of the DOE programs on 2G wire, I can attest that Japan's program is really first class world wide, in an area where the competition is very close. This is not the lucky result of some experiment, but a logical step in a broadly conceived R&D program. The decisive role played by Dr. Shiohara at the national level puts him in a special category of scientific leaders whose long term influence commands respect and deserves recognition."

Panelist and past award winner Venkat "Selva" Selvamanickam, Program Manager at SuperPower, said of Shiohara, "He is a leading presence in the field of high temperature superconductors. As the manager of the program that held the previous world record in 2G conductors, I have first hand experience of the combination of technical stewardship and team management that is required to achieve such lofty goals. I am especially impressed by the vigor with which ISTEC was able to recapture the world record status that they briefly lost. Such vigor is only possible with the clear direction and team motivation that Dr. Shiohara has exemplified."

Selvamanickam added, "With Dr. Shiohara at the helm of the national project, the budget for the Japanese 2G program has burgeoned over the years, enabling some of the recent success at ISTEC, including their world record 2G conductor. He has also been impressive in bringing together the various activities in the 2G area in Japan, including almost single-handedly directing the pathways taken by the Japanese companies in developing 2G conductor. The fact that he was able to have Fujikura provide the entire technical know-how to ISTEC in the area of IBAD GZO and PLD is quite amazing. The 2G program in Japan, which appeared to be flustering, has been bolstered to world-record status in a very short time frame.

"Dr. Shiohara also has performed unique work to develop a model for the solidification processes in melt-textured bulk YBCO," said Selvamanickam. "The model provided key insights for researchers developing the melt-texturing process. Overall, Dr. Shiohara has demonstrated an excellent combination of technical and leadership skills over the past decade. I believe the Japanese 2G program will continue to thrive under his leadership." 

About Yuh Shiohara

Dr. Yuh Shiohara joined ISTEC in 1988 and has been Director of the Division of Superconducting Tapes and Wires since 2003. He has published more than 300 papers, including 10 invited reviews. He was centrally involved in the creation of the current NEDO-METI Japan national project on R&D of superconducting coated conductors, a collaboration between ISTEC, private companies, and universities. As Project Leader he provides technical supervision and guidance to all the research sub-groups, including the private companies. Under his direction ISTEC set a world record in 2005 with a critical current of 245 amperes over 213 meters of YBCO wire. His awards include the Sawamura Award from the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan in 1991, the "Best Paper of the Year" from the Japan Institute of Metals, and twice the Superconductivity Science & Technology Award from the Society of Non-traditional Technology, Japan.

Back to top
Back to press release

Further endorsements of Seung Hong

"I can say with great confidence that there is no figure in the low temperature superconductor industry who has had as much influence on the technical development of conductors for magnets as Dr. Seung Hong," said David Larbalestier, Director of the Applied Superconductivity Center at the University of Wisconsin. "He has spent an enormously productive career of more than 25 years at the world's premiere superconducting wire manufacturer. Initially he implemented many vital technical breakthroughs himself, but as he has become more senior, he has nurtured a stable of very creative younger scientists and engineers like Ken Marken, Jeff Parrell, and Mike Field. The low-key nature of his impact has much to do with his personal modesty and willingness to advance his younger team. In short, he has been a leader with enormous, though much under-appreciated, impact."

Panelist John Clarke, Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley and head of the Materials Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, stated "Hong's impact on the development of magnet wire and thus on plasma containment, particle accelerators, NMR and MRI has been enormous. His efforts have enabled Oxford Instruments to stay at the forefront of state of the art magnets. His team's recent achievement of a 950 MHz NMR magnet is world leading, and suggests that Oxford will be the first to reach the holy grail of a 1GHz magnet. He has also been heavily engaged in the development of high-Tc wire made from Bi-2212, which has enabled the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory to make the world's first 25T superconducting magnet and to plan for a 30T magnet for 1.3GHz NMR. Hong has been at the forefront of the development of high field magnets for a quarter of a century, and along the way has mentored several younger scientists and engineers."

Panelist Bruce Strauss, Office of High Energy Physics, U.S. Department of Energy, commented: "The OST effort led by Seung Hong to develop advanced Nb3Sn strand for high energy physics applications has been one of the most successful development projects in my 40 years in the industry.  Dr. Hong's team at OST, working with the LTS conductor development group of national laboratory and university users, has effectively doubled the critical current of multi-filament Nb3Sn in a period of about five years. This improved conductor was a deciding factor in the funding and initiation of the LHC Accelerator Research Program that will design the next generation of particle accelerator magnets. The conductor, whose development was partially supported by HEP funds, has also found its way into the commercial market as Oxford has announced a new class of high field NMR solenoid magnets. Dr. Hong's technical and managerial leadership is exceptional."

Panelist Ken Marken, R&D Program manager at OST, commented, "Over a period of 25 years in charge of superconductor development and engineering at OST, his technical and business leadership has contributed dramatically to the advancement of the LTS industry. His impact encompasses both conductor technology and wire manufacturing for a wide range of superconducting magnet applications, including MRI, NMR, high energy physics, and fusion energy. During his tenure the performance of both NbTi and Nb3Sn conductors improved substantially, while production levels increased from a few tons to more than 500 tons per year. He continues to lead efforts to develop a new generation of higher field conductors based on HTS materials. Resounding support for his nomination was provided from industry, academic, and government leaders familiar with his work."

Marken added, "Dr. Hong is a long-time advocate for superconducting technology. He is a member of a workshop group that has actively promoted the advancement and application of superconducting wire for the Department of Energy's High Energy Physics (HEP) projects. In twenty years with this group the advances in magnet technology for HEP have steadily continued. He has also relentlessly pushed superconductor technology solutions into applications with MRI and NMR magnet manufacturers. He maintains close working relationships with his customers' magnet engineers, and works tirelessly to use his knowledge of superconducting materials to help them advance their own technology."

About Seung Hong

Dr. Seung Hong has been the Vice President of Engineering at Oxford Superconducting Technology (OST) since 1989. He joined OST's predecessor, Airco Superconductor, in 1979, after a stint in academic research. His technical achievements include improving the performance of low temperature NbTi wire to a commercial level, developing manufacturing techniques that reduced the cost of MRI conductor, and recent advances in the manufacture of Nb3Sn wire for NMR magnets, including the world's first Nb3Sn wire with a critical current of 3000A/m at 12 T. His work in magnet wire has progressed into the new BSSCCO-2212 wire and its record-setting magnets (25T). He has worked with MRI and NMR magnet manufacturers, the Department of Energy's High Energy Physics program, and national laboratories to promote applications for superconducting wire, including particle accelerators and medical imagery. During his tenure of technical and business management, OST has become the largest supplier of superconductor in the world. 

Back to top
Back to press release

Awards Recognized Innovation in High- and Low-temperature Superconductivity

The awards panel this year chose to recognize leaders who span the field of superconductivity, from low temperature to high, from private industry to national laboratories, and who represent the global spread of the technology. 

Superconductivity involves two major fields: high temperature (HTS) and low temperature (LTS) superconductors. LTS were discovered in 1911, and must be cooled to about 4K (-269°C), using liquid helium as a refrigerant. Already highly commercially successful, LTS wire made of Niobium Titanium (NbTi) and Niobium Tin (Nb3Sn) is used in the fabrication of high power magnets for medical, research, science, and industrial processing applications. LTS electronics are being developed for use in medical, communications, computing, and advanced instrumentation applications. 

Larbalestier supported the panel's recognition of the low temperature superconductor industry with the choice of Hong: "The low temperature superconductor industry seems always to have lagged far behind that of the high temperature superconductor industry in public perception, even as in reality it has been the complete opposite. Of course the potential for HTS materials is so large as to make it much easier to capture public imagination. But the downside of concentrating on HTS is neglect of the important LTS applications like MRI, accelerators, very high field NMR machines, and many thousands of research magnets that depend absolutely on the product that companies like Dr. Hong's produce each and every day - wire tailored for many different applications, with quality that is taken for granted even as it continues to improve in what many deem a mature and unchanging market."

Back to top
Back to press release

Enormous Potential of HTS Wire is Matched by Serious Challenges

High temperature superconductivity research began in 1986 when a family of ceramics that superconduct at 77K was discovered. This permitted the development of devices that can be cooled using liquid nitrogen, which is both inexpensive and easy to replenish. HTS materials may someday provide the basis for large-scale applications in electric power transmission and distribution, power quality and storage devices, motors, and generators. HTS may also offer lower cost or higher performance alternatives for some areas already using LTS materials, such as sensors or ultra high field magnet coil inserts. 

"The problem with HTS ceramics, known as perovskites," explained Mark Bitterman, Executive Editor at Superconductor Week, "is that they are essentially powders, or at best, fine filaments. As such, they do not form easily into durable, workable materials. HTS wires were first produced by incorporating BSCCO compounds in a silver matrix, and extruding it to form a wire. This first generation (1G) wire has been used to demonstrate some of the potential uses of HTS wire. However, the commercial potential of BSCCO remains extremely limited due to its high cost to manufacture."

HTS wires now under development can conduct almost 150 times the electrical current of copper wires of the same dimensions, and unlike copper, they are 100% efficient. Conventional generators and transmission lines suffer from a 7 to 11% energy loss. With the goal of making HTS wire affordable, researchers have developed various methods for coating HTS materials onto cheap metal strips, and slicing these strips to form wire. It is hoped that this second generation (2G) manufacturing technology will provide cost-effective, high performance HTS wire. 

Back to top
Back to press release

Panel of 9 Leaders Selected Winners from Dozens of Nominees

Nominations for the awards came from virtually every country with programs in superconductivity. The winners were determined by a panel of nine leaders from North America, Europe, and Asia, assembled by Superconductor Week. The selection criteria for the award included leadership, personal achievement, support from peers, and advocacy. 

Describing the panel's deliberations, Bitterman commented: "The final vote was unanimous. The diligence, discernment, and strength of conviction shown by our extraordinary panelists affirms the vital importance of individual achievement in the global effort to develop advanced technology."

The panelists for Superconductor Week's Superconductor Industry Person of the Year 2005 were: 

• John Clarke, Ph.D, Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Head of the Materials Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
• Arnaud Devred, Ph.D, Program Manager at CEA, Project Associate at CERN, CARE/NED Joint Research Activity Coordinator (EU-FP6)
• Donald U. Gubser, Ph.D, Superintendent of the Materials Science and Technology Division at the Naval Research Laboratory and co-editor of the Journal of Superconductivity
• Alex Malozemoff, Ph.D, Executive Vice president and Chief Technical Officer, American Superconductor Corporation
• Ken Marken, Ph.D,&D Program Manager and Business Development Manager, Oxford Instruments, Superconducting Technology
• Eiji Muromachi, Ph.D, Director of the Advanced Materials Laboratory and the Superconducting Materials Center at Japan's National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
• Justin Schwartz, Ph.D, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Leader, HTS Magnets & Materials Group of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University
• Venkat "Selva" Selvamanickam, Ph.D, Program Manager of Materials Technology at SuperPower, Inc.
• Bruce Strauss, Ph.D, Office of High Energy Physics, U.S. Department of Energy

Back to top
Back to press release

About the Superconductor Industry Person of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards

Superconductor Week's Superconductor Industry Person of the Year is the only international award recognizing individual achievement in the global effort to develop and commercialize both high and low temperature superconductors. The newly instituted Lifetime Achievement award recognizes those individuals whose entire careers have included outstanding achievement and a personal commitment to the industry. 

Mark Bitterman, Superconductor Week's Executive Editor, will present the award's official plaques to the winners at the Materials Research Society 2006 meeting in San Francisco, and at the Applied Superconductivity Conference 2006 meeting in Seattle.

Last year Superconductor Week declared Alex Malozemoff and Selva Selvamanicam joint "Superconductor Industry Persons of the Year" for 2004. Prior recipients of the award include Allan Hoffman, Carl Rosner, and Sungho Jin. This is the first year that "Superconductor Industry Lifetime Achievement" has been awarded. 

A call for nominations for the 2006 Person of the Year will be sent out on September 1, 2006. To be included in the call for nominations, send your email address to: service@superconductorweek.com. 

Return to the SCIPOY Press Release or Download release in PDF format.

Return to the SCIPOY home page

Return to Superconductor Week

Top of page