Nobel Laureate M. Stanley Whittingham attends State of the Union address

Distinguished Professor and Nobel Laureate M. Stanley Whittingham joined U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer in the nation’s capitol on Feb. 7 for U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

Schumer invited individuals from across the state who represent the benefits of some of the legislation passed by Congress.

Whittingham won the Nobel Prize in 2019 for his groundbreaking work in lithium-ion batteries.

Last fall, Binghamton University’s New Energy New York project received more than $113 million to establish a hub for battery technology innovation in upstate New York. Of that sum, $63.7 million was allocated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Competition. That federal program was created as part of the America Rescue Plan in an attempt to boost economic recovery post pandemic. The New York state also provided an additional $50 million for the battery project.

“Sen. Schumer has been such a huge supporter of our Battery NY/New Energy New York initiative, which aims to bring battery manufacturing back to the United States and North America,” Whittingham said. “We could not do what we are doing without the senator’s support and without all of the federal programs funding domestic manufacturing and technology innovation. I am honored to be invited to attend the State of the Union as the senator’s guest and thank the senator for all of his support for this program and for Binghamton University through the years.”