Alex Peroff, PhD, with (from left to right), Pine Research mascots the Post-Duck and Dr. Reducks.

Alex Peroff Looks on the Bright Side

Last spring, when the Society spoke with Alex Peroff, PhD, Electroanalytical Scientist at Pine Research, we were impressed by his positive attitude in the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic. We wondered if, after a year of living under COVID-19 restrictions, he was still as upbeat. The short answer: yes! The long answer follows.

Life not on the road

Before 2020, Peroff traveled extensively. Since spring 2020, he’s worked from home. “My only travel was to drive to Pine’s Pennsylvania facility last summer. There were a lot of social distancing protocols to make sure that everything was safe. Before, everyone worked together on a first shift. Now there are two shifts. I don’t think there’s going to be much safe travel until more people are vaccinated and the numbers of new cases significantly decrease. It’ll be a slow process.”

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For months, Impact Canada has been working hard on narrowing down five finalists to work on the Charging the Future Challenge, a $4.5-million project aimed at accelerating made-in-Canada clean battery innovations with the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The five selected finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas for battery breakthroughs to a jury for a chance to win up to $700,000 each to develop battery prototypes over the course of 18-months, with the winner receiving a $1 million grand prize. (more…)

When it comes to protecting ourselves against COVID-19, innovation is at its peak! Countless YouTube videos and DIY sites have surfaced teaching viewers how to create their own homemade masks, cleaning solutions, replicas of sold-out Clorox wipes, and more, all from the safety of home.

According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, Waco firefighters have also whipped up their own original concoction of salt, water, vinegar, and a jolt of electrochemical activation for the creation of their very own safe, yet powerful, disinfectant. Their homemade formula for hypochlorous acid, paired with their homemade spray system, allows the firefighters to kill viruses on their gear and within their living quarters in just 60 seconds. (more…)

Photo from: Stanford University // Image credit: Andrew Brodhead

A new type of protective face mask

In light of COVID-19 pandemic, research scientist John Xu and mechanical engineer Friedrich “Fritz” Prinz from Stanford University came together to rethink and improve protective face masks using their background in electrochemical processes.

As most of us are now familiar with, breathing with a face mask can be uncomfortable and difficult. According to Stanford News, that’s because N95 masks filter out 95 percent or more of small particulate matter from the air, including the virus, which as a result, makes breathing harder. Its estimated oxygen intake can be reduced anywhere from 5 to 20 percent which can lead to dizziness and lightheadedness. Particularly for health care workers and others working in the front lines of the pandemic, long-term mask wear can even damage lungs. (more…)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a memorandum, entitled, “Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations.” According to NSF, the purpose is to implement flexibilities authorized by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-20-17 from specific administrative, financial management, and audit requirements contained in 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, without compromising accountability requirements. The document highlights flexibilities that are applicable to NSF proposers and awardees affected by the loss of operational capacity and increased costs due to the COVID-19 crisis. Learn what they are, here. (more…)

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Given the unprecedented times that we are facing on a global scale, we understand that individual researchers and institutions have been impacted in ways most of us have never experienced. Please know that ECS’s first priority is the health and safety of all. To that end, ECS staff has fully transitioned to working remotely, enabling us to maintain our critical operations despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the ECS Board of Directors, we are writing to share the news that in light of the COVID-19 pandemic we are faced with the unfortunate, albeit inevitable decision to cancel the 237th Meeting of the Electrochemical Society, scheduled for Montreal, Canada May 10-14. In addition, the collocated International Meeting on Chemical Sensors (IMCS), has voted to postpone their meeting to a date that has yet to be determined. (more…)

Dear ECS Members and Constituents,

Because the health and safety of our community is our top priority, we at ECS Headquarters continue to closely monitor the developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact it will have on ECS activities.

As of this writing, the 237th ECS Meeting with IMCS 2020 are planned to take place as scheduled in Montréal, Canada, May 10-14, 2020.

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