ECS Student Chapter Munich hosted its first-ever symposium on February 15, 2016, featuring invited talks by Professor Jeff Dahn and Professor Thomas J. Schmidt, a poster session, and numerous opportunities for discussion and networking.

Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a new technique that has the potential to boost a traditional chemical reaction, opening doors for new developments in pharmaceuticals and other industries. The researchers developed an easier, cheaper, and greener way to preform allylic oxidation – a process that typically employs toxic or expensive reagents and has previously been difficult, if not impossible, to implement on a large scale. By using the power of old-fashioned electrochemistry, the TSRI researchers discovered…
Continue reading

On Friday, May 6, 2016, the ECS New England section will host a meeting featuring a distinguished speaker at Northeastern University, and you’re invited! What’s more, this event is free to attend! So come on out to Boston for a night, engage with your peers in the ECS community, and learn about redox flow batteries from an expert in the field of electrochemistry! Location Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts Egan Research Building Room 306 Directions Schedule 6:00 p.m. | Welcome & Election of…
Continue reading

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2016 ECS Summer Fellowships! Offered since 1928, the summer fellowship program is designed to assist students during the summer months, June through September, in the pursuit of work in a field of interest to the ECS. Fellowship Recipients Dr. Yelena Gorlin Technische Universität München Supervisor, Dr. Hubert A. Gasteiger Colin Garfield Fink Summer Fellowship* Soo Kim Northwestern University Advisor, Dr. Christopher M. Wolverton Edward G. Weston Summer Fellowship Charuksha T. Walgama Oklahoma State University Advisor,…
Continue reading

HIV and hepatitis C are among the leading causes of worldwide death. According to amfAR, an organization dedicated to eradicating the spread of HIV/AIDS through innovative research, nearly 37 million people are currently living with HIV. Of those 37 million, one third become co-infected with hepatitis C. The threat of HIV and hepatitis C The regions hit the hardest by this co-infection tend to be developing parts of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa and Central and East Asia. While…
Continue reading

While we may have a good understanding of battery application and potential, we still lack a great deal of knowledge about what is actually happening inside a battery cell during cycles. In an effort to build a better battery, ECS members from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have made a novel development to improve battery performance testing. Future of energy The team’s work focuses on the design and placement of the reference electrode (RE), which measure voltage…
Continue reading

Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856-1931), one of the charter members of ECS, is best known for having invented and commercialized carborundum, an artificial graphite. Biography Acheson was born in southwestern Pennsylvania and raised its coal fields. At the age of 16, after his father died, he left school to help support his family. Nevertheless, Acheson devoted his nights to the scientific endeavors, especially electrical experiments. In 1880, Acheson attempted to sell a battery of his own invention to Thomas Edison, who ended up…
Continue reading

People across the globe are looking toward renewable solutions to change the landscape of energy. But what happens when the sun goes down and the wind stops blowing? In order to guarantee green energy that is consistent, reliable energy storage systems are critical. “Currently, single systems of photovoltaic cells which are connected together — mostly lead-based batteries and vast amounts of cable — are in use,” said Ilie Hanzu, TU Graz professor and past member of ECS. “We want to…
Continue reading