MRIGlobal’s Dan Arvizu Named Chairman of National Science Board

NREL Director Elected to Two-Year Term

(Kansas City, MO) May 18, 2012 – Dan Arvizu, Ph.D., MRIGlobal Executive Vice President and Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was elected Chairman of the National Science Board.

The National Science Board is the governing board of the National Science Foundation, which, with an annual budget of $6.9 billion, funds about 20 percent of all federally supported basic scientific research at U.S. colleges and universities. The board also serves as policy advisers to the President and Congress.

Arvizu was first appointed to the board in 2004 by President George W. Bush; in 2011 he was re-nominated by President Barack Obama and reconfirmed by the Senate. He was elected Chairman on May 4, 2012.

“This is a tremendous honor,” said Michael F. Helmstetter, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MRIGlobal. “Dan is an exceptional choice to guide the nation’s research at the frontiers of science and technology. We are very proud of Dan and his work.”

“It is an honor to serve in this capacity on behalf of an incredibly talented and accomplished group of Board Members, dedicated to maintaining U.S. scientific leadership,” Arvizu said.

Arvizu has a Ph.D. and Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University.

He joined MRIGlobal in 2005, and in 2008 was named President of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC, which manages the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo.

Prior to joining MRIGlobal, Arvizu was Chief Technology Officer with CH2M HILL Companies Ltd. He also was an executive with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. With 30 years of experience, Arvizu is one of the world’s leading experts on renewable and sustainable energy

About MRIGlobal
MRIGlobal, a not-for-profit research and development organization, delivers global solutions in national security and defense, energy and environment, life and animal sciences, agriculture and food safety, and transportation. The organization performs scientific research, advanced engineering and program integration and management for clients in government, industry and academia.  Established in 1944 as Midwest Research Institute, MRIGlobal is based in Kansas City, Mo., operates in nine states and Washington, D.C., and manages more than 3,300 employees.

MRIGlobal is one of two partners in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, which manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy.

For more information, visit www.mriglobal.org.