From left to right: Ramchandra Gawas, Thomas Lee Spencer, and Junpei Koike; photo by Robb Cohen Photography and Video

Established in 1993, the General Student Poster Session Awards acknowledge the excellence of students’ work. The winners display their understanding of research topics in fields of interest to The Electrochemical Society (ECS).

This year, at the 236th ECS Meeting in Atlanta, GA, almost 600 students submitted posters to the General Student Poster Session. Of them, three student posters stood out above the rest.

The recipients of the 235th ECS Meeting’s best poster awards are:

1st Place – $1,500 cash award
Ramchandra Gawas, Drexel University
Poster # 2310
“Ionic Liquid Composite Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction” (more…)

Shimshon Gottesfeld received the 2019 Olin Palladium Award at the 236th Electrochemical Society (ECS) Meeting.  The award recognizes distinguished contributions to the field of electrochemical or corrosion science.  Gottesfeld talk, “Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells: Recognition of a Field of Electrochemistry for Technical Contributions Made by Outstanding Technical Teams,” is on Wednesday, 16 October, at 1640h in Galleria 2.

Shimshon Gottesfeld

Gottesfeld is an emeritus member and fellow of ECS.  He received his PhD in chemistry from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. He joined the staff of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tel Aviv in 1972. Gottesfeld spent an extended sabbatical leave between 1977 and 1979 at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey. In 2015, Gottesfeld was nominated adjunct professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the University of Delaware. (more…)

Robb Cohen Photography & Video

John W. Weidner of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Cincinnati received the 2019 Carl Wagner Memorial Award at the 236th Electrochemical Society (ECS) Meeting. The award recognizes mid-career achievement, excellence in research areas of interest of the Society, and significant contributions in the teaching or guidance of students or colleagues in education, industry, or government.

Weidner delivers “Mathematical Modeling of Electrochemical Systems” on Tuesday, 15 October, at 1140-1200 in Room 311.

John W. Weidner

John W. Weidner is an ECS Fellow and dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. He published 113 refereed journal articles and contributed to over 200 technical presentations in the field of electrochemical engineering. His research group created novel synthesis routines… (more…)

In “The Lightsaber Battery,” author Richard Rogers asks if recent electric vehicle battery research makes a lightsaber battery possible. After reviewing Star Wars technology and the current state of battery technology, his conclusion is a conditional yes! However, the final stage of light saber development depends on a Kyber crystal which amplifies and channels the cosmic energy of the Force. Unfortunately, a crystal like that hasn’t been discovered in our universe yet.

Star Wars fans and electric battery developers do not despair! The need for longer-lasting electric vehicle batteries has raised cycle life goals similar to the lightsaber’s requirements—and electrochemists are rising to the challenge! That galaxy “far, far away” is coming closer and closer. (more…)

Data science is a hot topic in every industry. Are electrochemists late to the table? The Data Science Showcase at the 236th ECS Meeting is an opportunity to learn about new electrochemical and solid state research and the open source software and the datasets that underpin the work. The research talks are complemented by a demonstration on how to access, use, modify, and improve the open source tools and data associated with the research projects.

The symposium organizers, Daniel Schwartz, David Beck, and Mathew Murbach, recently guest edited an issue of Interface on the value of applying data science to electrochemistry. They quote early chemical engineering adopters of data science who describe it as the application of modern data management practices, statistical and machine learning, and advanced visualization to ask and answer new questions. (more…)

ECS announces a special opportunity for attendees

Interested in innovation programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF)? The NSF Directorate for Engineering’s Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) supports programs to accelerate NSF-funded and federally-funded fundamental research into market opportunities, and fosters public-private partnerships to advance technological innovation. IIP invests in high-tech small businesses and collaborations between academia and industry to transform discoveries into innovative commercial technologies with societal benefits.

Meet one-on-one with Jesus Soriano, NSF program director, Industrial Innovation and Partnerships Division, October 15-16 at the 236th ECS Meeting in Atlanta. Reserve your 15-minute meeting here:

Learn more about the IIP programs:

(more…)

To compete globally in key energy sectors through the 21st century and beyond, the U.S. must accelerate the discovery and development of novel materials. The I05 symposium at the 236th ECS Meeting, “Accelerated Discovery and Development of Energy Materials,” is a unique opportunity for researchers and stakeholders from electrochemistry and materials research to meet, network, and initiate new collaborations in highly impactful research and development. The electrochemical research community focuses on important energy applications such as generation, storage, distribution, and utilization. The materials research community focuses on computational and experimental methodologies for accelerated materials discovery and development, and advancing multiple sectors. While rapid scientific advances are occurring independently in both fields, bringing world leaders from the two fields together is an extraordinary opportunity to achieve materials breakthroughs with the potential to revolutionize the U.S. energy sectors. (more…)

Ten new issues of ECS Transactions (ECST) have just been published for the upcoming 236th ECS Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. ECST volume 92, issues 1 to 10 can now be accessed online through the ECS Digital Library. These issues are also available for purchase as an instantly downloadable electronic (PDF) edition through the ECS Online Store:

1. 1. Semiconductors, Dielectrics, and Metals for Nanoelectronics 17
2. 2. 16th International Symposium on Semiconductor Cleaning Science and Technology (SCST 16)
3. 3. Atomic Layer Deposition Applications 15
4. 4. Semiconductor Process Integration 11
5. 5. Materials and Processes for Semiconductor, 2.5 and 3D Chip Packaging and High Density Interconnection PCB 2
6. 6. State-of-the-Art Program on Compound Semiconductors (SOTAPOCS 62)
7. 7. Gallium Nitride and Silicon Carbide Power Technologies 9
8. 8. Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells & Electrolyzers 19 (PEFC&E-19)
9. 9. Photovoltaics for the 21st Century 15: New Materials and Processes
10. 10. Sonoelectrochemistry

Questions? Contact ECST@electrochem.org for more information.

Join the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for a workshop, Advances, Challenges, and Long-Term Opportunities for Electrochemistry: Addressing Societal Needs. The workshop is on November 18-19, 2019 in Washington, DC. under the auspices of the Chemical Sciences Roundtable of the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology.

The workshop features sessions on the latest applications of electrochemistry in energy storage, energy conversion, and electrosynthesis. In addition to technical talks, speakers and the audience will discuss the resource, training, and workforce needs to advance electrochemistry in the United States. (more…)