ECS Creates Biannual John B. Goodenough Award

John B. Goodenough

John B. Goodenough

Pennington, NJ – The Electrochemistry Society announced the creation of a new biannual award at Nobel laureate John B. Goodenough’s 100th Birthday Celebration on July 25, 2022. The John B. Goodenough Award of The Electrochemical Society will recognize distinguished contributions to the fundamental and technological aspects of electrochemical materials science and engineering. The recipient will be renowned for paradigm-shifting contributions in the fields of electrochemical and/or solid state science and exceptionally creative experimental or theoretical studies that opened new directions in electrochemical energy storage, electrocatalysis, and/or solid ion conductors and high temperature materials for electrochemical devices.

The award is named after longtime ECS member John B. Goodenough. Throughout his career, Goodenough has been active with the Society as an admired and beloved member, author, fellow, awardee, meeting participant, professor, and more. From 1984-2019, Goodenough made some 45 presentations at ECS biannual meetings. He published his research in the Journal of the Electrochemical SocietyECS Transactions, and Electrochemical and Solid-State Lettersincluding “Building Better Batteries in the Solid State” in 2020 ECS Meeting Abstracts. Goodenough’s ECS publications are collected in 2019 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry. The Society recognized his distinguished contributions to the field of electrochemical science with the Olin Palladium Award, Honorary Membership, and election as a Fellow of The Electrochemical Society. Society publications and biannual meeting seminars celebrated John’s receiving the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (with colleagues and fellow ECS members M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino) “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.” The Royal Swedish Academy of Science cited his JES article, “Phospho-Olivines as Positive-Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries,” as particularly critical to the development of the lithium ion battery. In May 2022, the Journal of The Electrochemical Society and ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology co-published From Fundamentals to Next-Generation Technology – JES/JSS Focus Issue In Honor of John Goodenough: A Centenarian Milestone, a collection of more than 80 select invited papers celebrating and honoring Goodenough’s life, legacy, and contributions.

“When we announced the new award at his 100th Birthday Celebration, Prof. Goodenough turned to the audience and said, ‘Thank you. Thank you all very much, and remember this: one step at a time!’ John’s unprecedented years of service to the scientific community are an inspiration to us all. At The Electrochemistry Society, we are fortunate to not only know John Goodenough, the great scientist; we also know John Goodenough, the great person. His 100 years of wisdom and experience—and his world-changing discoveries—have inspired generations of scientists and researchers and will continue to do so for decades to come. Thank you, John, for being a part of—and supporting—our community,” said Christopher Jannuzzi, ECS Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer.

(From left to right) ECS President Turgut Gür and ECS Past President Eric Wachsman announce the new John B. Goodenough Award of The Electrochemical Society at Goodenough’s 100th Birthday Celebration at the University of Texas at Austin. Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the Cockrell School of Engineering and Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Departments, UT Austin.

John B. Goodenough

(Left photo) ECS President Turgut Gür presents John Goodenough with a commemorative scroll announcing the new ECS Goodenough Award at his 100th birthday celebration. Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the Cockrell School of Engineering and Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Departments, UT Austin. (Right photo) At his 100th Birthday Celebration, John Goodenough displays the bound copy of the JES & JSS focus issue in his honor, and scroll announcing the new ECS Goodenough Award.

The award consists of a gold medal; plaque with a bronze replica of the medal (both bearing the recipient’s name); US $10,000; complimentary meeting registration for the award recipient and companion; dinner in the recipient’s honor during the designated meeting; and ECS Life Membership. The recipient receives the award in person at the designated Society meeting, and delivers a general address on a subject related to the contributions for which the award is presented.

The first recipient will receive the award and present a general address at the 243rd ECS Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts in May 2023. Read more about the award, nominee qualifications, and the nomination process on the Society’s website.

The Electrochemical Society
ECS has led the world in electrochemistry and solid state science and technology and allied subjects since 1902. We are a volunteer-directed international nonprofit professional society advancing scientific theory and practice by publishing cutting-edge research, hosting prestigious meetings, fostering training and education, and collaborating with other organizations. Our robust global membership develops innovative solutions to the planet’s major challenges. Scientists, engineers, and industry leaders share pioneering scientific developments, exchange ideas, network, and expand research horizons at ECS biannual, co-hosted, and sponsored meetings. The ECS Digital Library on IOPscience hosts highly peer-reviewed journal and magazine articles and meeting abstracts from our distinguished publications including the Journal of The Electrochemical Society (the oldest peer-reviewed journal in its field) and ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology. The Society supports open access throughout its publications, launching two new Gold Open Access journals, ECS Sensors and ECS Advances, in 2022.

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