What is the actual reason for the White House to honour Prof. Sivalingam Sivananthan

Born in Chavakacheri, Sri Lanka, Prof. Sivalingam Sivananthan is a world-renowned physicist as well as a successful entrepreneur in creating advanced military infrared night vision technology, which has also served as the platform for ground-breaking, next generation solar cells. He was recently recognised by the White House as a "Champion of Change" – one of the best and brightest from around the world who are helping create American jobs, grow our economy, and make our nation more competitive.

Prof. Sivalingam Sivananthan

Kulasegaram Sanchayan, in this extensive interview feature, de-mystifies what numerous Tamil media have misrepresented about this award.

Prof. Sivalingam Sivananthan also talks about InSPIRE (the non-profit Institute for Solar Photovoltaic Innovation, Research, and Edu-training), whose mission is training Illinois’s workforce and exciting Illinois undergraduate and high school students to create a renewable energy and solar eco-system in Illinois; his mission in life - to give his very best to his family and friends, his students, his research, his business, his country, and the world at large.

Prof. Sivalingam (Siva) Sivananthan is a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor and Director of the Microphysics Laboratory (MPL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is also the founder of the high-tech, Bell Labs-styled incubator, Sivananthan Laboratories, Inc., based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

This interview went to air in 2013. This is a re-broadcast.

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