The Electrochemical Society (ECS) and the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) are working together to co-sponsor symposia at each other’s respective conferences. The joint effort will start with “Modeling: From Elucidation of Physical Phenomena to Applications in Design” at the 229th ECS Meeting.

The symposia organizers include Mark Orazem, past president of ISE and chair of the ECS Education Committee; and Johna Leddy, ECS Vice President and member of ISE.

“Through society publications, conferences, and other activities, ECS and ISE both provide essential service to the international electrochemical community,” says Orazem. “As an active member of ISE and ECS, I am very pleased to see these two societies work together in forming jointly sponsored symposia.”

The symposium at the 229th ECS Meeting will cover areas from fundamental theory to modeling of electrochemical technologies and devices, exploring all aspects of modeling electrochemical phenomena and physical effects in electrochemical systems.

“Electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering are central to fundamental research in dynamics and thermodynamics, fundamentals that implement technologies across wide areas that include energy, the environment, and healthcare,” says Leddy. “Because electrochemistry and electrochemical modeling are central to all electrochemists and electrochemical engineers, worldwide, electrochemical modeling provides an excellent venue for this, the first joint symposium of ISE and ECS.”

Abstracts for the “Modeling: From Elucidation of Physical Phenomena to Applications in Design” symposium will be accepted for the 229th ECS Meeting up until December 11, 2015.

“Personally, I am very pleased with the modeling topic and look forward to excellent interactions and discussions with friends of long standing and new colleagues not yet met,” says Leddy. “I look forward to the opportunity that this joint symposium of ISE and ECS provides to exchange ideas and to create new knowledge and new questions.”

Following the 229th ECS Meeting, the “Education for Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Engineering” symposium will be co-organized by both ECS and ISE as part of the 2017 Annual Meeting of ISE.

“This is a new venture, being tested first at the 2016 ECS Meeting in San Diego and then at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the ISE in Providence, Rhode Island,” says Orazem. “I believe that this venture will strengthen both societies and may lead to new levels of cooperation that will benefit electrochemical research and education. I appreciate sincerely the engagement of the ISE and ECS leadership.”

The development of the silicon chip forever changed the field of electronics and the world at large. From computers to cellphones to digital home appliances, the silicon chip has become an inextricable part of the structure of our society. However, as silicon begins to reach its limits many researchers are looking for new materials to continue the electronics revolution.

Fan Ren, Distinguished Professor at the University of Florida and Technical Editor of the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology, has based his career in the field of electronics and semiconductor devices. From his time at Bell Labs through today, Ren has witnessed much change in the field.

Future of Electronics

Upon coming to the United States from Taiwan, Ren was hired by Bell Labs. This hub of innovation had a major impact on Ren and his work, and is where he first got his hands-on semiconductor research. During this time, silicon was the major player as far as electronic materials went. While electronics have transformed since that time, the materials used to create integrated circuits have essentially stayed the same.

People keep saying of other semiconductors, “This will be the material for the next generation of devices,” says Ren. “However, it hasn’t really changed. Silicon is still dominating.”

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With Halloween right around the corner, we’re counting down the top 10 science-themed Halloween costumes. Whether you need some inspiration for a last-minute costume or are looking to put a little creativity into this year’s outfit, we have what you need to pull together the best costumes inspired by science.

Marie and Pierre Curie

Looking for a great couples costume? Look no further. Dress up as these Nobel laureates and everyone in the room will be telling you how “radioactive” you look.
Image: Scientists for Hire

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More than half energy produced annually—whether it’s heat, gas, biomass, or methane—is wasted. Harvesting the wasted  heat energy could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 17 percent. Researchers from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State are looking for new, environmentally friendly ways to harvest and recycle this wasted energy in an effort to create hydrogen gas.

“Existing methods are already very effective at making hydrogen gas,” says Bruce Logan, Evan Pugh Professor of Environmental Engineering. “The problem is that these methods consume fossil fuels in order to generate enough energy to create the hydrogen gas.”

By producing hydrogen gas via waste heat, the researchers eliminate the need for fossil fuels in production.

“Since the new system runs on waste heat, it is effectively carbon neutral and fossil fuel neutral,” says Logan.

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While we typically work to preserve the environment, there are some aspects that cause more harm than good. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are one of these environmentally hazardous parts of nature, severely impacting human health, the ecosystem, and the economy.

While HABs put countless people at risk though polluted drinking water, researchers are now attempting to create some good from this negative. Through heating the algal at a very high temperature in argon gas, HABs can be converted into a material known as hard carbon. Typically made from petroleum, hard carbon also has development potential through biomass. Due to the material’s qualities and capabilities, hard carbons have the potential to be used as high-capacity, low-cost electrodes for sodium-ion batteries.

“Harmful algal blooms, caused by cyanobacteria (or so called ‘blue-green algae’), severely threaten humans, livestock, and wildlife, leading to illness and sometimes even death,” says Da Deng, co-author of the recent study. “The Toledo water crisis in 2014 caused by HABs in Lake Erie is a vivid example of their powerful and destructive impact. The existing technologies to mitigate HABs are considered a ‘passive’ technology and have certain limitations. It would significantly and broadly impact our society and environment if alternative technologies could be developed to convert the HABs into functional high-value products.”

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We’re delving into our archives with our new Masters Series podcasts. In 1995, ECS and the Chemical Heritage Foundation worked together to compile oral histories of some of the key players in electrochemical and solid state science. Now, we’re bringing those personal perspectives to life.

Today you’ll be hearing from Harold J. Read, a renowned metallurgist who turned his private workspace into a military metal shop to assist in work on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Listen and download these episodes and others for free through the iTunes Store, SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed. You can also find us on Stitcher.

Inspired by nature, Shelley Minteer and her research group at the University of Utah are looking for a way to merge electrochemistry and biology. With a little inspiration, Minteer aims to bring to life innovative devices that can be applied to anything from fuel cells to electrosynthesis.

“We’re looking at biological inspiration,” says Minteer. “As electrochemists, we’re looking at things in terms of the molecular biology of living cells and seeing how we can make a better electrochemical cell from that.”

Inspiration from Biology

The sciences of biology and electrochemistry tend to have many fundamental concepts in common. On the biological side, one can look at how humans eat and metabolize food in a comparative way to the functions of a fuel cell. Additionally, plants and electrosynthesis work similarly in the way they take in CO₂ and produce fuel.

“As a group, we’re looking to see if we could use biology as our inspiration to do electrochemistry, and that has taken us into a lot of different applications,” says Minteer.

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ECS would like to introduce its 2015 ECS Outstanding Student Chapter Award recipient, Indiana University!

Indiana University Student Chapter officers and advisors proudly holding their award plaque.

The Outstanding Student Chapter Award is a prestigious award given annually at the fall ECS bi-annual meeting. An Outstanding Student Chapter recipient actively participates in the ECS community, hosts their own community outreach activities and lectures, and has devoted, hardworking members.

With over twenty members, Indiana University Student Chapter is led by Professor Dennis Peters and Professor Lane Baker. This group is made up of members from different research backgrounds, which allows discussion to vary and provide insight into the numerous fields of electrochemistry, including bioanalytical and environmental. The chapter has hosted guest speakers, including Allen J. Bard and Nate Lewis, on their campus to not only present seminars, but also give career advice.

The mission of the Indiana Student Chapter is to spread knowledge of electrochemical science to the younger members of their community. This year will mark the fourth year in a row that this chapter volunteered at Science Fest, where chapter members host an entire laboratory with hands-on electrochemical experiments. This coming year they will also add a research talk, open to all.

The Indiana Student Chapter strives to build a better forum for students with different backgrounds to share their ideas, host and conduct outreach activities, while furthering their professional development.

Congratulations, Indiana University!

Over 2,080 people from 46 different countries attended the 228th ECS Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, October 11-15, 2015. This was ECS’s first return visit to Phoenix since 2008. Participants could choose among 1,977 presentations.

Check out tons of photos from the meeting on our Facebook page.

Plenary Session
ECS President Daniel Scherson opened the meeting with an update on the Society’s Free the Science initiative, a major endowment campaign allowing all ECS content to be open access—providing it at no cost to anyone—free to all authors, readers, and libraries. Attendees also got some insight into the fifth international ECS Electrochemical Energy Summit and a look at the Society’s plans for Open Access Week.

Adam Heller (center) receiving the ECS Lecture plaque from ECS President Daniel Scherson (left) and Honorary Member Plaque from ECS Vice President Krishnan Rajeshwar (right).

The ECS Lecture
“Wealth, Global Warming and Geoengineering” was the title of the ECS Lecture given by Adam Heller, Research Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin’s McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. His talk focused on the underlying cause of the rapid rise in carbon dioxide emissions and increased energy consumption, which Heller states is due to the rise in global wealth and growth of the world’s population. Additionally, Heller stressed the need for research and development in areas of geoengineering—specifically altering the albedo to reflect more sunlight and iron fertilization of the southern oceans—in order to stop the ever-increasing effects of climate change.

Franklin Orr, U.S. Under Secretary for Science and Energy, delivering the keynote address at the fifth international Electrochemical Energy Summit.

Electrochemical Energy Summit
The fifth international ECS Electrochemical Energy Summit (E2S) took place during the 228th ECS Meeting. The main topic was solar critical issues and renewable energy. Acknowledging population and industrial growth paired with economic and environmental issues, E2S was designed to foster an exchange between leading policy makers and energy experts about society’s needs and technological energy solutions.

Franklin Orr, U.S. Under Secretary for Science and Energy, delivered the keynote address. His talk set the tone for the summit, focusing on environmental security, the critical role of energy storage, and how we can move towards a more sustainable future.

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My DVR told me to watch this and it was right.

I love This Old House and Ask This Old House. They did a 30 minute home energy special this past week that, whether the show producers knew it or not, shows off electrochemistry and solid state science in the most practical terms.

Richard and Kevin take a trip to Germany to discover how the country has become a world leader in energy efficiency. They find answers in the mechanical rooms of a home and a bed and breakfast. Plus, Kevin and Ross head to Texas to install a residential wind turbine in Texas.

Dinia, who is ECS’s graphic designer, helping register attendees at the 228th ECS Meeting

I should have guessed Germany would be the focus for energy after attending the 228th ECS Meeting in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago. For the first time we brought along one of our staff members, Dinia, who is German. It seemed like she was talking to every other attendee in her native language. I had no idea how many German speakers we had at our meetings.

The wind turbine part of the show from Texas is equally interesting and equally electrochemical.

You’ll be hearing a lot more about energy and electrochemistry/solid state science. The Electrochemical Energy Summit was part of the 228th ECS Meeting. We interviewed seven major players in the alternative energy field in between their talks. They made the point repeatedly that electrochemistry is at the forefront of energy production and the sustainability of our planet. There is a video in the works on the topic.

Watch the energy episode of Ask This Old House.