One thing has remained constant since the very first ECS Meeting in 1902: every meeting is someone’s first. Entering an ECS Meeting for the first time can be daunting, whether there are 52 attendees, as at that first meeting, or thousands as at recent meetings. Huge convention centers, sprawling hotel layouts, and packed schedules can make it easy to get lost or feel constantly rushed. Loud exhibit halls, bright lights, hundreds of simultaneous conversations, and non-stop crowds can drain physical and mental energy. Even approaching strangers or joining an established conversation over coffee can feel uncomfortable.

(more…)

(Photo by Marco Garcia)

Whether you’re a seasoned ECS symposium organizer or planning your first, ECS is here to support you. The Symposium Organizers’ Corner brings together tools, resources, deadlines, and practical tips to help you plan, promote, and deliver a successful ECS symposium.

ECS 250 is nearly here!

Follow these steps to fill gaps left in your program by withdrawn talks. (more…)

Photo by Marco Garcia

Whether you’ve organized many ECS Meeting symposia or are considering your first, planning a meeting symposium is no small task. From developing a compelling technical program and attracting high-quality submissions to promoting your symposium and creating opportunities for connection, ECS is here to support you. The Symposium Organizers’ Corner highlights tools, resources, important deadlines, and proven strategies to help you plan a successful ECS meeting and make the most of your experience as an organizer. (more…)

E. Jennings (EJ) Taylor

“Celebrating Electrochemical and Solid State Science Innovations: Commercialization of Electrochemical Processes and Products”

When different ECS Divisions repeatedly asked EJ (E. Jennings) Taylor¹ to deliver talks at symposia on commercializing scientific innovations, he began to wonder, “Why not combine these different symposia into one multi-division symposium?”² Since solving so many of the world’s grand challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration, an international symposium that brings together researchers at different career stages and across different disciplines could help streamline the path from invention to market while supporting ECS’s vision to “accelerate scientific discovery and innovation”—a foundational aspect of the Society’s mission.

EJ feels strongly that researchers need more support in bridging the “Valley of Death”—the challenge of successfully bringing a promising idea or technology to market. “When I talk about the broader challenges of commercialization, people always respond, ‘I’ve encountered similar challenges in taking technology from lab to market.’ These challenges occur across all disciplines of electrochemical and solid state science and technology. Z02 was conceived to address the common challenges of technology commercialization.” (more…)

An Electrobat cab

A brief history of the first ECS Meeting

The newly formed American Electrochemical Society (which would become The Electrochemical Society) held its first meeting  from April 3–5, 1902.* Earlier, Charles John Reed III, an independent electrochemistry consultant, had proposed creating a new electrochemistry section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). When ACS dragged its heels, Reed appealed to Joseph W. Richards, Professor of Metallurgy at Lehigh University, who agreed to become involved. Reed, Roberts, Carl Hering, E. F. Roeber, Samuel P. Sadtler, and William H. Wahl sent 30 letters to engineers, chemists, and scientists, which said:

“The rapidly growing importance of the subject of electrochemistry and the want of suitable occasions in this country for the discussion of papers and questions pertaining thereto by those specially interested have suggested the advisability of founding a National Electrochemical Society…”¹

(more…)

250th ECS Meeting 

Late Abstract Submission is open. Authors who missed the regular submission deadline still have the opportunity to participate in the meeting by presenting a late poster. Encourage anyone who still wants to present at the meeting to submit a late poster. 

If your session chair assignments are not done, please send the full list of chairs, including first name, last name, and session title, to Sarah Hazuka ASAP.  (more…)