ECS would like to congratulate the 2019 Outstanding Student Chapter winner, the University of Calgary for their dedication and commitment to the advancement of solid state and electrochemical science and technology.

The 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.

The University of Calgary has become one of ECS’s most exemplary chapters. The chapter will receive $1,000 for student chapter funding and a recognition plaque as well as recognition in Interface for their hard work. (more…)

You are all cordially invited to the third annual Oxford Electrochemical Society Student Chapter Symposium which will take place from 10 am to 5 pm on June 11, 2019, in the Harris Lecture Theatre, Oriel College. The keynote will be delivered by Saiful Islam, FRSC of the University of Bath.

We are looking for contributions from students or postdocs. If you want to give a short talk (15-20min) about your research sign up via the link below.

The symposium is free to attend, and breakfast and lunch will be provided! Come along to learn about ongoing research in different departments and network with other electrochemists! (more…)

Joseph Cohen

Four years ago, artist Joseph Cohen held an art exhibit in New York City titled “Dasein.” His paintings at the time incorporated materials like gold, silver, platinum, diamond dust, as well as precious and nonprecious pigments.

This caught the eye of scientist Dan Heller, who had attended the event and was very intrigued by Cohen’s work. He told Cohen he had the eye for material science.

“Dan and I spoke at the exhibit. We talked about my process and how I think about the material as a means to more specifically address and understand the kind of human condition and the physical world. We found that this vision could be reflected nicely in some of the materials that he was utilizing in his lab,” says Cohen, who was invited by Heller to work with new materials at The Daniel Heller Lab. “That’s when I became aware that I could work at a more refined, molecular level. I studied and studied, and worked very closely with the people in his lab. I began to research carbon nanotubes and began working with them due to their unique optical and physical properties.” (more…)

Editor’s note: This briefing was written by Bruker Optics. Bruker Optics will be exhibiting (booth 400) at the 235th ECS Meeting in Dallas, TX this May. See a list of all our exhibitors.

Introduction

Electrochemical investigations are a very current topic in research. In recent times advancement in technology and industry results in a world-wide increasing energy consumption. A future requirement to face this trend is the development of high capacity and as well low weight rechargeable batteries for energy storage. Therefore studies of electrolyte systems or electrode surfaces are of great importance for possible further improvements.

Also in other fields, like biochemistry or catalysis, electrochemistry is of great benefit to get access to information of molecules, depending on an applied electrochemical potential. For example of the redox-active center in biomolecules [1], the reaction behavior of catalysts or the formation of carbon oxides during alcohol oxidation.

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Photos by: Alena Dubavaya/Sarah Brooks, Gentry Lee, @TheSWU

ECS is proud to partner with the March for Science, a global event taking place on May 4, 2019. On this day, scientists and science advocates around the world will march to highlight the important role that science plays in improving lives, solving problems, and informing evidence-based policy.

Marches will be held in over 100 locations. Attendees may also join the march taking place in New York City at noon at Foley Square.

The March for Science aligns strongly with ECS’s Free the Science initiative, which aims to one-day offer complete, free, and unlimited access to the ECS Digital Library so that critically important research in human and environmental sustainability can become accessible to all. (more…)

NGenE class of 2017. Photo credit: University of Illinois at Chicago

Electrochemists—are you looking for the next challenge in your career? Are you prepared to examine the gaps in the electrochemical science field and willing to take a step back to find new, innovative solutions?

Next Generation Electrochemistry (NGenE), a summer institute on the frontiers of electrochemistry, is offering a one-week NSF-funded Summer Institute program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) June 3-7, 2019 to do just that. Experienced students and young postdocs are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: May 1

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Jason J. Keleher, professor and chair department of chemistry at Lewis University.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, nearly 7,000 laser strikes on aircrafts were reported in 2017.

“In cities like Chicago this problem is real as people are shining laser pointers on aircrafts during critical phases of flight, which is a big nuisance to pilots,” said Jason Keleher, a professor and chair of chemistry at Lewis University, who was approached by the aviation department at Lewis University to collaborate on a solution to this growing problem .

“Is it a bunch of kids? Is it accidental? Is somebody just like, ‘I bet you can’t hit that plane with those lasers.’ It’s really hard to identify who’s actually doing it. It’s a very interesting problem,” said Keleher, one he, the project’s principal investigator, was prepared to solve.

Keleher explains that although the lasers don’t cause permanent eye damage to pilots as they maneuver the aircraft, it does cause temporary flash blindness which may make it difficult for pilots to see control systems as they prepare for take-off and landing. He explains it is similar to the way high beams can disorient a driver upon direct exposure.
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