There are some important events which deserve to be remembered. Today is the 20th anniversary of the independence of Namibia–one of the very last African states to gain self-determination. Sam Nujoma was sworn in as the first president of the country on March 21, 1990 by the UN secretary-general, with Nelson Mandela and 19 other heads of state in attendance. We’re remembering this historic occasion with our Namibian friends and colleagues, and imagining with great optimism what this country will be like in two more decades. Doing our small part, we are also celebrating the most recent fuel cell production models, which are extremely encouraging (more about that in a future post)!
2010 also marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the basic phenomenon behind microbial fuel cells. Michael Potter, a botanist from Durham, discovered that the common bacteria E. coli produced electricity as they carried out their metabolic functions. Unfortunately, that amazing discovery languished for decades before anyone thought that useful energy could be produced by this remarkable process…
Tags: Anniversaries, Microbial Fuel Cells, Namibia
