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June 09 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine Postdoc passionate about renewable energy
Michael Ham gets set to launch a caped monkey carrying a message in support of renewable energy. Photo by Richard C. Robinson Michael Ham, a postdoctoral student in Applied Modern Physics, is preparing to unleash on Washington, D.C. a thousand flying, screaming monkeys to promote renewable energy. In the meantime, Ham, who collaborates with a team of LANL researchers on the Artificial Retina Project and specializes in neural network research, is content to help teach others how to build a simple electric-powered vehicle as part of a four-week class at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos. “We are going to use two 36-volt drills—essentially two very big cordless drills—as a power source for an electric vehicle,” said Ham. “The idea of this class is to get people involved in building an electric vehicle and to start thinking about renewable energy. For this reason, we would like to partially power the vehicle with solar cells.” Ham’s class will be taught through UNM-LA’s adult continuing-education program. The two-hour class begins July 9 for four consecutive Thursdays and is open to individuals possessing technical knowledge or a sincere interest in renewable energy. Those with fabrication or welding skills also are urged to sign up. “We will custom build the frame, so there’s the challenge of making the vehicle look good and not like something that was just thrown together,” he said. So how do flying monkeys fit into Ham’s plans? Ham is president of KinAestheticWind, a nonprofit company dedicated to supporting and creating renewable energy research. As part of his promotion efforts, Ham hopes to build an electric lowrider sports truck. To fund the project, supporters can donate $20 to the cause. With each donation, Ham will send a launchable, shrieking monkey with an alternative-energy message on its cape to a member of Congress and to the president and vice president of the United States. One thousand monkeys should fund the lowrider project and cover every member of the House of Representatives and the Senate and the two most influential leaders of the free world, according to Ham. He already has netted nearly 20 donations in the first month since his promotion began. “The monkeys will show our leaders and the media that renewable energy is an issue that can’t be ignored,” he said. For information on Ham’s class at UNM-LA or the KinAestheticWind renewable energy efforts, go to http://www.la.unm.edu and www.kinaestheticwind.com. —James E. Rickman
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