The Electrochemical Society with Toyota North America
2017-2018 ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship
for Projects in Green Energy Technology

Proposal Submission Deadline: January 31, 2017

ECS, in partnership with the Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA), is requesting proposals from young professors and scholars pursuing innovative electrochemical research in green energy technology.

Global development of industry and technology in the 20th century, increased production of vehicles and the growing population have resulted in massive consumption of fossil fuels. Today, the automotive industry faces three challenges regarding environmental and energy issues: (1) finding a viable alternative energy source as a replacement for oil, (2) reducing CO2 emissions and (3) preventing air pollution. Although the demand for oil alternatives—such as natural gas, electricity and hydrogen—may grow, each alternative energy source has its disadvantages. Currently, oil remains the main source of automotive fuel; however, further research and development of alternative energies may bring change.

Fellowship Objectives and Content

The purpose of the ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship is to encourage young professors and scholars to pursue research in green energy technology that may promote the development of next-generation vehicles capable of utilizing alternative fuels. Electrochemical research has already informed the development and improvement of innovative batteries, electrocatalysts, photovoltaics and fuel cells.

Through this fellowship, ECS and TRINA hope to see more innovative and unconventional technologies borne from electrochemical research.

The fellowship will be awarded to a minimum of one candidate annually. Winners will receive a restricted grant of no less than $50,000 to conduct the research outlined in their proposal within one year. Winners will also receive a one-year complimentary ECS membership as well as the opportunity to present and/or publish their research with ECS.

Meet previous winners.

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We’re wrapping up another year and reflecting on some of our top digital media of 2016. Check out the top five viewed videos and episodes of the ECS Podcast of the year.

Top 5 ECS Videos

The New Model for Scientific Publishing | watch

Free the Science | watch

The Critical Impact of Our Science | watch

Allen Bard in 1983 | watch

Why Join and ECS Student Chapter | watch

Top 5 ECS Podcasts

Khalil Amine on Next Generation Li-ion Batteries | listen

The Battery Guys | listen

K.M. Abraham on the Invention of Li-air and Other Lithium Batteries | listen

Science for Solving Society’s Problems Round Table | listen

Critical issues in Renewable Energy | listen

See the rest of our videos and download all episodes of the ECS podcast.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame was founded in 1973 and continues to honor individuals among us who strive to make the world a better place through innovation. With a simple mission to recognize inventors and invention, the National Inventors Hall of Fame announces a call for nominations for 2017 recognition.

ECS is proud to partner with the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The chair of the ECS Honors & Awards Committee serves as our representative for the four-year term; Dr. Peter Fedkiw is currently in both roles. The Honors & Awards Committee has an External Awards Subcommittee specifically designated to assist in applications such as these.

Take time to consider a scientist or engineer among us who is worthy of a nomination. View the new National Inventors Hall of Fame web site for details about the award program, the corresponding STEM education initiatives and the list of inventors whose ingenuity we take advantage of each day. Then reach out to us for assistance is the nomination process via awards@electrochem.org.

ECS has an inductee that you might be familiar with Dr. Esther Takeuchi — materials scientist, chemical engineer, ECS member since 1985 and former Society President — was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011 for developing the battery that enabled implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). The invention afforded Dr. Takeuchi the 2009 National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

The deadline for nominations for the class of 2018 is March 31, 2017.

ECS Fellow and technical editor of the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Charles Hussey, recently added one more item to his list of career accomplishments.

The esteemed scientist and integral member of the University of Mississippi’s chemistry and biochemistry department has been named the new associate dean for research and graduate education at the university’s College of Liberal Arts.

“I am very excited about the chance to serve in this role and anxious to get started,” Hussey said in a release.

Hussey states that since the appointment of Dean Lee Cohen, the university began to shift in a new direction focused on research and graduate education. “I want to be part of helping him move the college forward in these areas,” he said.

With his extensive scientific background and experience serving as a chair of a department, Hussey will be looking to reflect those experiences in his new position. He will also be aiming to evaluate current issues students face pertaining to research engagement, scholarship, and graduate education.

“Once I have a sense of the issues, then we will work with other departments to develop long-range strategies that make use of our available resources to attack these roadblocks,” said Hussey, the 2014 winner of ECS’s Max Bredig Award in Molten Salt and Ionic Liquid Chemistry. “I also see potential for the growth of new graduate programs in the college.”

In addition to his new appointment, Hussey plans to continue his research into electrochemistry and transport properties of ionic liquids and molten salts.

Grace Hopper

Two female tech pioneers won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Grace Hopper, known as the “first lady of software,” and Margaret Hamilton, regarded for her leadership role in a NASA software team that helped land a man on the moon, continued to break the glass ceilings in computer science upon receiving this prestigious award.

Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I and a pioneer in computer science until she passed away in 1992.

When discussing Hopper’s achievements, U.S. President Barack Obama said, “If Wright is flight, and Edison is light, then Hopper is code.”

Margaret Hamilton

Hamilton played a major role on the 1960s NASA team that got a man to the moon. She was critical in developing the on-board flight software for the Apollo space program.

President Obama said, “Luckily for us, Margaret never stopped pioneering. She symbolizes that generation of unsung women who helped send humankind into space.”

From cellphones to cyber command, the work of these women has helped shape the world we currently live in.

The holiday season is approach and it’s time to start thinking about the perfect gift for the science-lover in your life. Check out our top 10 picks for 2016!

Scientist Love Notes
Etsy – $9.00
These tongue-in-cheek, handmade gifts feature notable scientists and phrases related to their area of study. Choose from eight carvings, ranging from Marie Curie (“You’re radiant”) to Nikola Tesla (“You’re electrifying”).

Molecube
Vat 19 – $19.99
The molecube is a noteworthy challenge for any avid puzzler. This mental test combines all the challenges of the Rubik’s Cube mixed with a Sudoku puzzle that is sure to put even the most seasoned puzzlers to the test.

Free the Science
ECS – Gifts of every size help!
Struggling to find the perfect gift for that person who has everything? How about a donation to ECS’s Free the Science initiative? Give the gift that keeps on giving!

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By: John Besley, Michigan State University

Earlier this fall, the nonpartisan nonprofit ScienceDebate.org released Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s responses to a set of questions about science policy. Shortly after, a group of 375 scientists wrote an open letter focused specifically on the United States honoring commitments around climate change. Seventy Nobel laureates then penned a more general Clinton endorsement; President Obama had garnered similar numbers of Nobel winners’ support in the previous election cycles.

As someone who both studies science communication and thinks of himself as a part of the scientific community, I applaud scientists’ desire to engage with our broader society. The scientific community has substantial expertise to share and a responsibility to share it.

On the other hand, I worry that doing things like asking candidates to weigh in on scientific questions in the context of a “debate” may have unintended consequences that need to be thought through as a community.

None of the below should be taken as a rebuke. Rather, the point is to honestly consider whether the scientific community is making strategic communication choices when it comes to this election. Poor choices could give the dangerous impression that scientific questions can be debated like policy choices – while also cutting into the public’s overall trust in science.

What happens when scientists engage politically

I’m very hesitant to suggest that scientists bite their tongues about things such as the threat of a political candidate who doesn’t believe in climate change. But I also worry that the scientific community’s tendency to respond to many Republicans’ unhelpful views about science policy with continued feigned surprise, and occasional derision, might have negative consequences for the continued strong place of science in society.

As might have been predicted, the ScienceDebate.org efforts, for example, showed that one of the major party candidates has limited interest in reassuring the scientific community that its views are respected. The climate change open letter similarly reiterates that our best scientists know the Republican candidate for president doesn’t care what they think and find it (understandably) disheartening.

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My name is Andrew Ryan. For the past eight months, I served as a Membership Services Intern at ECS under the direction of Beth Fisher. Though I worked on many different projects throughout my time at ECS, my primary contribution was writing membership related posts for the ECS website’s Redcat Blog. A great deal of the posts written over the course of the past eight months with the byline “ECS Staff” were written by me.

An English major who graduated from The College of New Jersey this past May, I was absolutely honored to have the opportunity to write for a website with such a thriving viewership. It was beyond fulfilling to be able to apply my passion for writing in a professional environment.

But ECS was more to me than a writing outlet. It was more to me than a desk job or a resume line. It was a truly, positively rewarding experience.

Let me tell you why.

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