Chu Touts Bell Labs at MIT Lecture

When Energy Secretary Steven Chu delivered the Compton Lecture at MIT yesterday he let his Bell Labs roots show.

During the talk, titled "The Energy Problem and the Interplay Between Basic and Applied Research," Chu switched up the usual formula of breakthroughs in basic research advancing applied research. He said fundamental breakthroughs also come from highly focused applied research. His prime example — Shannon’s information theory — is a shining moment in Bell Labs’ history.

Chu also talked about modeling energy research laboratories on Bell Labs. He described a management structure where labs are run by the top practicing scientists whose intimate knowledge allows them to quickly deploy resources and help researchers connect with colleagues. He also described a place so rich in ideas that people are not obsessed with secrets.

He cited the Joint BioEnergy Institute as an example of a “Bell Lab-let”. The Institute is a partnership of three national laboratories and three universities focused on developing biofuels. The lab is headed by Jay Keasling, a UC Berkeley professor, Berkeley National Lab scientist and pioneer in the field of synthetic biology. “Great science is going to come out of this,” said Chu.

The brief question-and-answer session was dominated by the topic of money. Chu said he was going to be sending letters to university presidents and deans and heads of scientific associations asking for volunteers to help review grant proposals. The several billion dollars the Department of Energy is awarding for research is a large load on the system, he said.

The next question prompted him to say that the money we’re devoting to energy research and development as a nation is a small fraction of what’s needed. Most of our energy system is still based on burning oil and coal. We need to make it more high-tech, Chu said. The US spends over $1 trillion a year on its primary energy market. Following the model of high-tech companies we should be investing at least 10 percent of that in R&D, which would amount to about $100 billion per year, he said.

“Science and technology will be a cornerstone if not the cornerstone for how Americans are going to prosper in this century. And so what we’re investing now is nothing,” said Chu.

Eric Smalley is the editor of Energy Research News. He has written about technology since 1987 and has freelanced for many publications including Discover, Scientific American, Wired News and The Boston Globe on topics ranging from quantum cryptography to global warming.