UA Honors Silicon Solar CEO Douglas Hutchings
The UA's College of Engineering recently honored Douglas Hutchings, CEO of Innovate Arkansas firm Silicon Solar Solutions and its sister startup, Picasolar, with an Early Career Award.
Very much deserved. (Doug and wife Kassie are shown with the award at right.)
Here's more from the UA:
College of Engineering Recognizes Douglas Hutchings
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas College of Engineering honored Douglas Hutchings of Fayetteville, Ark., founder and chief executive officer of Silicon Solar Solutions and Picasolar, at its annual banquet.
Hutchings received the Early Career Award. This award recognizes exceptional professional and personal achievements of engineers who have attended the College of Engineering in the past 20 years. The College of Engineering Alumni Awards Banquet was held Saturday, April 5 at the Springdale Holiday Inn and Convention Center.
“Our alumni are one of our college’s biggest strengths and their accomplishments speak directly to the quality of our academic program,” said Dean John English at the banquet, which honored 14 alumni. “We are proud of all our alumni but this group is a sample of our very best.”
Hutchings grew up in England. He received bachelor’s degrees in math and physics from Hendrix College before coming to the U of A to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in microelectronics-photonics in 2007 and 2010.
Hutchings developed a business plan for his first company, Silicon Solar Solutions LLC, as part of a business class team project. A second company, Picasolar, emerged from Silicon Solar Solutions in 2013. Picasolar is developing a technique to decrease the cost of solar cells by decreasing the amount of silver used in the gridlines.