The ECS University of Calgary Student Chapter invites current ECS Student Chapter members—and anyone interested in revitalizing or starting a chapter—to the ECS Student Chapter Roundtable during the 250th ECS Meeting in Calgary, Canada, on Tuesday, October 27, from 945–1030h MDT.

Share what’s working, swap ideas, and connect with fellow student leaders from across the ECS community. Come ready to talk about successful events and initiatives, growing engagement, launching new chapters, and supporting professional development. Designed to strengthen connections among ECS Student Chapters and spark future collaboration across institutions, the Roundtable is an opportunity to learn from one another, share experiences, and exchange ideas. Preregistration—online in advance or at Customer Service in 250 Registration—is required for this event.

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Praveen Sekhar

Praveen Kumar Sekhar, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Washington State University Vancouver (WSU-V) and Chair of the ECS Sensors Division, received the Governor’s Outstanding Leadership Award for exceptional leadership and a longstanding commitment to public service and the communities he serves.

Prof. Sekhar will also receive the 2026 ECS Sensor Division Outstanding Achievement Award during the 250th ECS Meeting Plenary Session in Calgary, Canada, on October 26, 2026. He will present his award talk, “Printed Sensors, Reconfigurable RF Devices, and Emerging Quantum Platforms: Engineering the Future of Intelligent Sensing Systems,” on October 28. (more…)

Section Q: The Electrochemical Society’s Secret Society of Shenanigans

250 meetings over 124 years; that’s a lot of gatherings and a lot of science. But it wasn’t all work. Here are some memorable examples of some of the entertainment that meeting participants enjoyed.*

Section Q hatches

In 1907, The Electrochemical Society (ECS) agreed that sections should give members opportunities for “having papers read and discussions on technical subjects.” The earliest sections formed in Philadelphia, New York City, and Madison, WI. But not every section was interested in technical discussions. (more…)

ECS Mourns Passing of Nobel Laureate and Community Member

Rudolph Marcus

Rudolph Marcus, who was born on July 21, 1923, passed away on July 16, 2026. Through his long career, Dr. Marcus inspired generations of electrochemists. His contributions will continue to inspire generations to come—just as he did at the 182nd ECS Meeting, where he received the call informing him that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

On October 14, 1992, Dr. Marcus was presenting his second paper, “Electron Transfer Across Interfaces,” at the 182nd ECS Meeting in Toronto, Canada, when an urgent call, purporting to be from the Royal Academy of Science in Stockholm, came into the office for him.¹ Rather than interrupt Dr. Marcus for what could be a prank, the office called the Academy. Yes, the call was real. However, Stockholm refused to say what they were calling about! (more…)

Esther Takeuchi

Takeuchi to Present ECS Lecture at 250th Meeting

Esther Takeuchi (SUNY Distinguished Professor and William and Jane Knapp Chair in Energy and the Environment at Stony Brook University and Chief Scientist and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Science Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory) will present the ECS Lecture—“Electrochemistry: A Keystone of the Energy Future”—at the 250th ECS Meeting Plenary Session. Her participation is especially fitting as ECS celebrates its 250th meeting since its founding in 1902. As she noted, “Scientific participation and scientific discovery is a marathon, not a sprint; you have to be in it for the long haul. I think that idea is very reflective of the Society and its members.”¹

Holding more than 150 patents and in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Prof. Takeuchi is best known for developing the lithium/silver vanadium oxide (Li/SVO) battery used in implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), more than 150,000 of which are implanted annually in the United States.²  

An ECS member for over 40 years and Society President from 2011 to 2012, Prof. Takeuchi credits ECS with fostering connections across disciplines, sectors, and countries. In a conversation with ECS staff in June 2026, she discussed the themes of her ECS Lecture and the evolving role of electrochemistry in addressing global energy challenges. (more…)

One of Nobel laureate Dr. M. Stanley Whittingham’s earliest memories of ECS (he’s been a member for more than 50 years!) dates back to receiving a Young Author Award: “…when I got a Young Author Award and went to the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, the reception was around the pool, and the Texas Rangers came on their horses. And that was amazing!”^{1, 2}

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