Alcoa Foundation announced today that it has honored retired Alcoa Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Mohammad A. Zaidi with a $25,000 grant to The National Research Council. The funds will bolster dissemination and outreach efforts for the Council's America's Energy Future suite of reports and will help ensure that research-based sustainable strategies and technologies are a focus of future energy policies. Dr. Zaidi retired recently from Alcoa after 26 years of service.

"Mohammad is an innovation pioneer whose technological achievements have laid a strong foundation for the future of Alcoa's manufacturing base," said Paula Davis, President, Alcoa Foundation. "We are proud to honor him by contributing to the National Research Council's efforts toward a sustainable energy future."

Zaidi joined Alcoa (NYSE:AA) in 1985 as a senior engineer and rose quickly through Alcoa's ranks. Since 2003, he served as Chief Technical Officer, Vice President, and a member of the Executive Council. In 2006, he earned the rank of Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer and spearheaded Alcoa's expansion into new markets such as defense, consumer electronics and oil and gas. Zaidi has authored numerous papers and articles in scientific journals and books and also served as chairman of Vision 2050, a project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

"We hope the AEF series of reports will continue to serve as a principal benchmark and resource, especially for the Department of Energy's Quadrennial Technology Review," said Peter Blair, executive director of the National Research Council's Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences. "The DOE strategic plan for research, development, demonstration, and deployment of energy technologies can play an important role in shaping the nation's energy future. This grant will help us make sure the plan is based on this credible and authoritative research."

About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately US$436 million. Founded more than 50 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than US$530 million since 1952. In 2010, Alcoa Foundation contributed nearly US$20 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, focusing on promoting environmental stewardship, enabling economic and social sustainability, and preparing tomorrow's leaders through education and learning. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa's thousands of employee volunteers, who in 2010 gave more than 720,000 service hours. Through the company's signature Month of Service (October) program, Alcoa employees share their energy, passion and purpose to make a difference in our communities. In 2010, a record 49 percent of Alcoans took part in nearly 1,000 Month of Service events across 24 countries, reaching 59,000 children, serving 17,000 meals, planting 16,000 trees and supporting 3,000 nonprofit organizations. For more information about Alcoa Foundation, please access www.alcoa.com/foundation.

About National Research Council
The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org. For more information on the America's Energy Future reports, please visit http://sites.nationalacademies.org/Energy/index.htm.

Alcoa Foundation
Nacema Blake, 212-836-2825
Nacema.blake@alcoa.com