This group was formed as a spin-off from previous research being conducted in the Department of Physics, Southern University A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Our goal is to promote fuel cell research at Southern, as well as other Colleges and Universities across the nation. Early next year, we plan on holding a fuel cell car competition, inviting teams from other Colleges and Universities to design and construct a 1:8 scale RC vehicle powered by PEM fuel cells. At current, our research mentors include: Dr. Diola Bagayoko, Director, Timbuktu Academy and M.S. Physics Program, Chancellor's Fellow; Dr. Paul Turner, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and DOE Samuel P. Massie Chair of Excellence; and Dr. Ella Kelley, Professor, Department of Chemistry; and Walter Craig, Professor, Electrical Engineering Technology. Student members of the research team are as follows:

Donald G. Prier, II - M.S. Physics Candidate

Carl R. Grant Undergraduate, Dept. of Physics and Dept of Computer Science

Monikka M. Mann - Undergraduate, Dept. of Physics

Dr. Paul Turner is a nationally recognized expert in hazardous waste management and treatment. In his work as program manager for the Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, he has developed crosscutting, multidisciplinary activities and set up arrangements with DOE, EPA, and private industry. In addition to his Massie Chair position, he is the current director of the Institute for Sewer Rehabilitation Infrastructure at Southern University and serves as a faculty advisor for the Alternative Fuels Research Group. Dr. Turner is a fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences and is cited in "American Men and Women in Science."

Donald Prier is an Applied Physicist, and by trade, a Material Scientist with strong backgrounds in polymers and electrochemistry. His skills range from technical writing, computer programming to marketing and strategic planing. He has been given opportunities to work on several projects with Southern University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Louisiana State University and the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices. Each of these facilities allowed him to use his knowledge of materials for the development of high performance electrodes. In each instance, he was responsible for modeling a standard electrode assembly or optical electrode assembly, studying the properties of the materials that were either selected to be fabricated as an electrode or selected to be used as deposition material for the surface of an the electrode.

He is currently performing research in the area of Fuel Cells. He is responsible for assisting in the development of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and PEMFC electrode which is highly efficient. He currently is studying the transport properties of hydrogen in electrodes by investigating the behavior of the PEMFC catalyst at various temperatures.

Dr. Terrance Reese is a new theoretician at Southern University. His specialty is developing complex mathematical molecular models for systems of particles. He has a special interest in positron annihilation and its applications toward the Scaled Density Functional Theory to the Decay of Ortho-Positronium. Dr Reese has determined that positrons can be used for studying the defects and imperfections within solids. The solids they chose to study in particular are Sodialites and Zeolites. He is interested in studying the transport properties of hydrogen in Zeolites and comparing that process to the transport properties of of Hydrogen in Nafion. The Alternative Fuels Group is very interested in this particular Zeolite / Sodialite study because Zeolites catch us at the next conference, one nearest to you.