In an effort to encourage young girls in STEM, Marvel and the National Academy of Sciences’ Science & Entertainment Exchange are working to creating scientific superheroes through the “Girls Reforming the Future Change” challenge.

In conjunction with the upcoming release of Captain America: Civil War, the two organizations have created a program for girls ages 15 to 18 to submit projects they believe could change the world. Through short videos, each contestant is encouraged to explain a STEM related project that could have a far-reaching impact globally.

The project will select five finalists to receive a $500 savings account. Additionally, one lucky contestant will receive the grand prize of an internship at Marvel Studios.

“I’m really excited to meet these exceptional young women who have STEM backgrounds and who maybe also want to be part of more of a creative- and science-based world,” says Elizabeth Olson, actor in the film. “And Marvel’s a perfect place for that.”

Learn more about the project at captainamericachallenge.com.

After the few years of dormancy, the New England Section of ECS is looking to engaged members in the region.

Section officers invite members wanting to actively participate in local section functions, including suggesting speakers and venues for programming, to contact Prof. Sanjeev Mukerjee, Northeastern University, at s.mukerjee@neu.edu.

First section meeting is slated for late spring 2016. More information will be distributed to section members.

To updated your section membership, contact customerservice@electrochem.org.

Not a member of ECS? Join, rejoin or renew today!

Image: Assianir

A recent pistachio recall is bringing Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses back into the national spotlight. The popularity of the in-shell pistachio brands recalled paired with the long shelf-life of the nut has health experts concerned for the potential of the foodborne illness to spread rapidly. Many are again asking: how can we better control food safety?

Shin Horikawa and his team at Auburn University believe their novel biosensor technology could resolve many of the current issues surrounding the spread of foodborne illnesses. As the principal scientist for a concept hand-picked for the FDA’s Food Safety Challenge, Horikawa is looking to make pathogen detection faster, more specific, and cheaper.

Faster, cheaper, smarter

“The current technology to detect Salmonella takes a really long time, from a few days to weeks. Our first priority is to shorten this detection time. That’s why we came up with a biosensor-based detection method,” Horikawa, Postdoctoral researcher at Auburn University and member of ECS, says.

Horikawa and his team’s concept revolves around the placement of a tiny biosensor—a sensor so small that it’s nearly invisible to the human eye—on the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables to detect the presence of pathogenic organisms such as Salmonella. This on-site, robust detection method utilizes magnetoelastic (ME) materials that can change their shape when a magnetic field is applied. The materials respond differently to each magnetic field, changing their shapes accordingly. This allows the researchers to detect if a specific pathogen—such as Salmonella—has attached to the biosensor.

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Christian Amatore has given a new direction to electrochemistry and has had a pioneering role in the development of ultramicroelectrodes worldwide. He is currently the Director of Research at CNRS and will be giving the ECS Lecture at the 229th ECS Meeting in San Diego, CA, May 29-June 2, 2016. His talk is titled, “Seeing, Measuring and Understanding Vesicular Exocytosis of Neurotransmitters.”

Listen to the podcast and download this episode and others for free through the iTunes Store, SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed. You can also find us on Stitcher.

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The ECS Outstanding Student Chapter Award was established in 2012 to recognize distinguished student chapters that demonstrate active participation in The Electrochemical Society’s technical activities, establish community and outreach activities in the areas of electrochemical and solid state science and engineering education, and create and maintain a robust membership base.

Click here for complete rules and nomination requirements. Nominations are being accepted for the 2016 award, which will be presented at the PRiME 2016 in Honolulu, HI, October 2-7, 2016.

For questions or additional information, please contact awards@electrochem.org. Submission deadline extended through April 15, 2016.

Apply today!

The 2015 Outstanding Student Chapter Award Recipient 

The 2015 ECS Outstanding Student Chapter Award recipient was Indiana University. Founded in 2015, Indiana University brings together members from a variety of research backgrounds such as mechanistic organic, environmental, bioanalytical, and materials, to promote interdisciplinary discussions about electrochemistry and solid state science. Led by faculty advisors Professor Dennis Peters and Professor Lane Baker, this group has hosted guest speakers, including Allen J. Bard and Nate Lewis, on their campus to not only present seminars, but also give career advice. The mission of the Indiana Student Chapter is to spread knowledge of electrochemical science to the younger members of their community.

Join the ECS Canada Section for their 2016 Spring Meeting! The meeting will be held at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Friday, June 10, 2016 and will feature four illustrious speakers, including keynote speaker Dr. Mark Orazem. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This meeting is dedicated to the memory of the late Prof. Sharon Roscoe, a long-time member of the ECS and a preeminent Nova Scotian electrochemist.

Dr. Mark Orazem (Keynote)

Speakers

Dr. Mark Orazem (Keynote) | Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, USA

Dr. Jacek Lipkowski | Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, ON, Canada

Dr. Aicheng Chen | Department of Chemistry, Lakehead University, ON, Canada

Dr. David Shoesmith | Department of Chemistry, Western University, ON, Canada

Registration

Registration fees:
Regular attendees: CAD 150
Students and postdoctoral fellows: CAD 50
(to be paid on-site by cash or cheque)

If you wish to present your research, please submit your presentation title and abstract as part of the registration process. Students and PDFs are invited to participate in the poster competition.

The registration deadline is Friday, May 6, 2016.

Register now!

Experience the wonders of Argonne National Laboratory at this year’s Chicago Section Spring Event! Featuring a laboratory tour, a dinner buffet, and a talk by distinguished speaker Dr. Deyang Qu, this event is not to be missed!

This event will take place on Tuesday, April 5th and begin at 3:30 p.m. Register now!

Argonne National Laboratory

Spanning 1,500 acres, Argonne National Laboratory is the largest national laboratory in the Midwest. Argonne serves as a center for government and corporate research and development, as well as academic collaborations, in the greater Chicago region.

Location

Argonne National Laboratory
9700 S. Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439
Directions

Schedule of events

3:30 p.m. | Arrival to obtain a visitor pass for Optional Tour | Argonne Information Center

3:40 p.m. | Arrival at Guest House to depart for Optional Tour

3:45-5 p.m. | Depart for Transportation Center & Advanced Photon Source Tour (from Guest House)

5:15-6 p.m. | Dinner Registration & Reception | Guest House

6:00-7 p.m. | Dinner
Buffet choices of: mixed green salad, baked tilapia, grilled herb chicken breast, roasted herb potatoes, green beans and baby carrots, and assorted mini pastries

Prices:
Students and Retired Members: $10
Student Nonmembers: $15
Members: $35
Nonmembers: $45

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Here at ECS, we love at things science, technology, engineering, and math. With that said, it’s only fitting that we pay a little homage to everyone’s favorite mathematical constant on its name day.

Pi is an irrational and transcendental number, continuing infinitely without repetition or pattern. It’s been calculated our as far as over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point, with Japanese memory master Akira Haraguchi having recited the first 100,000 digits of Pi in public. (However, we only need 39 digits of Pi to be able to measure the circumference of the observable universe, but we won’t tell him that.)

So what happens on Pi Day (aside from math enthusiasts around the world uniting)? Well, the San Francisco-based museum that started the celebration throws an annual party, MIT will let you know if you made their acceptance cut, and you can probably find local pizza shops that will give you a discount.

And don’t forget, Pi Day also coincides with Albert Einstein’s birthday (he’d be 137 years old today).

Celebrate today by learning more about Pi!

There is no doubt that women have made an immense impact on the sciences. From Marie Curie to Esther Takeuchi, women have made outstanding contributions to innovation, research, and technology.

In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating by (briefly) highlighting a few women who have changed STEM.

Marie Curie

A list of pioneering women in STEM would be incomplete if it did not include the extraordinary Marie Curie. Her inspiring story and discovery or radium helped pave the way to inspire many future women in STEM. Curie was the first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win twice, and the only person to win in multiple sciences.

Irene Joliot-Curie

Continuing the work of her mother Marie Curie, Irene Joliot-Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1935 for the synthesis of new radioactive elements. Her work included the study of natural and artificial radioactivity, transmutation of elements, and nuclear physics. Joliot-Curie’s work lead to research by German physicist that eventually resulted in the discovery of nuclear fission.

Lili Deligianni

Lili Deligianni’s innovative work in chemical engineering has led to cutting-edge developments in chip technology and thin film solar cells. She has been with ECS for many years, currently serving as the Society’s secretary. Her current research interests in the development of materials for low power on-chip converters and thin film solar cells are game changing technologies that could have applications in solar panel sand electric cars.

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35 years of service

In this episode of the ECS Podcast, we’re celebrating Executive Director Roque J. Calvo’s 35th anniversary with the Society. Through hard-work and a clear vision, Calvo has helped transform the Society into what it is today.

In honor of Roque celebrating his 35th year with ECS, we thought we would interview him for a change.

Listen to the podcast and download this episode and others for free through the iTunes Store, SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed. You can also find us on Stitcher.

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