ARPA-E was designated back in 2007, but to certain extent, APRA-E was finally and formally described in President Obama’s speech on April 27, 2009 to the National Academy of Science. A handy summary comes from the ARPA-E website:

“ARPA-E will uniquely focus on high risk, high payoff concepts – technologies promising true energy transformations. The Department invests heavily in basic research and ARPA-E is not intended to augment these efforts.”

Most exciting is the recent request for proposals announcement. Visit ARPA online to learn more.

Sigma Xi invites films that address an aspect of energy production, consumption, or distribution, in the context of the world energy crisis and the need for sustainable energy technologies. Films are judged for high quality of production and with the accuracy and depth of the scientific ideas they present. They must be well made, educational and informative, and they must be rooted in science. They may be scripted or candid, fictionalizations, live video or animation or any combination of these, but must communicate scientific ideas in a manner that the general public can understand.

Prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 awarded for the top three films! No entry fee! Registration deadline is August 18.

Learn more at Sigma Xi.