Arizona State University professors Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld were honored with the Excellence in Research Award at the 2010 Arizona Bioindustry Association’s BioFest, Oct. 27, at the J.W. Marriott Camelback Inn in Scottsdale.

The Arizona Bioindustry Association (AzBio) is concerned with making Arizona a place where bioscience organizations can grow and succeed. The BioFest awards are held annually to promote and recognize innovation in the biosciences professions.

The Award for Research Excellence is given to life science researchers who have made the most significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of biological processes, either in a commercial or academic setting.

Hu and Sommerfeld received the award for their on-going research into ways of converting algae to fuel. The two scientists have been working on algae as a renewable source of fuel for more than 25 years.

Their Laboratory of Algae Research and Biotechnology (LARB) is housed in the College of Technology and Innovation at ASU’s Polytechnic campus, and, with the support of Science Foundation Arizona, recently became part of the newly established Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI).

The two have been recognized nationally and locally for their efforts. In 2008, Time Magazine named Hu and Sommerfeld’s process of converting algae to fuel as one of the top innovations of 2008. In 2009, they were recognized with the Innovator of the Year-Academia Award at the 2009 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation in Phoenix.

For more about their work, visit http://larb.asu.edu.