Michael Hecht responds to ECS Lecture questions

Michael H. Hecht delivered the ECS Lecture, Electrolysis on Mars: MOXIE and the Perseverance Mission, at the Plenary Session of the 240th ECS Meeting on October 11, 2021. Answers to questions posed during his lecture follow.

Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

Michael Hecht is the Associate Director for Research Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Haystack Observatory. Since 2013, he has been Principal Investigator for the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument on NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover (Perseverance) mission, a technology demonstrator to validate the instrumentation and methodology to produce large quantities of oxygen from the Martian carbon dioxide atmosphere using solid oxide electrolysis (SOXE). From September 2019 to August 2020, Professor Hecht served as Deputy Project Director for the Event Horizon Telescope, the consortium that in 2019 delivered the first image of a black hole. His diverse experiences span planetary missions, observational astrophysics, space instrument and SmallSat development, planetary science, and project, program, and line management. Prior to joining MIT, he worked for 30 years at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), developing instrumentation for planetary missions. There he achieved the designation of Senior Research Scientist. At JPL, he served as Principal Investigator and Instrument Manager for the MECA (Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer) instrument on the Phoenix Mars mission. MECA operated through the summer of 2009, with major findings in microscopy, the physical chemistry of water in soil, and notably, in aqueous soil chemistry using electrochemical methods. 

Prof. Hecht received his PhD in Applied Physics at Stanford University in 1982 after completing his BA in Physics at Princeton University and MS at MIT. His research has garnered numerous awards including the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and 1990 Lew Allen Award for Excellence. His h-index is 51 with over 11,500 citations. (more…)

ECS Sensors Plus and ECS Advances

The Electrochemical Society is excited to announce the addition of two new gold open access journals to its family of high-quality publications! 

ECS Sensors Plus

ECS Sensors Plus is a multidisciplinary, open-access journal that provides an international platform to publish high-quality impactful articles, and promote scholarly communication and interactions among scientists, engineers, and technologists whose primary interests are focused on mechanisms, materials, structures, properties, performance, and characterization of sensing and detection devices and systems, including sensor arrays, networks, and actuators. The goal of ECS Sensors Plus, as a one-stop shop journal for sensors, is to advance the fundamental science and understanding of sensors and detection technologies for efficient monitoring and control of industrial processes and the environment, and improving quality of life and human health. (more…)

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Almost two years after approving the charter for ECS Sensors Plus (ECS’s new gold open access journal scheduled to begin accepting submission in 2022), The Electrochemical Society Board of Directors approved the appointment of Dr. Ajit Khosla of Yamagata University, Japan, as the Founding Editor-in-Chief (EIC).

Ajit Khosla

Dr. Khosla has been a valued member of ECS for over 11 years, actively engaging with activities to move forward ECS’s mission. His service includes, but is certainly not limited to, Technical Editor of the Sensors Technical Interest Area for the Journal of The Electrochemical Society and ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology; Chair of the ECS Sensors Division; member of the Symposium Planning Advisory Board; Editor of the very popular JES Focus Issue on Sensor Reviews; Editor of the forthcoming JES Focus Issue on Women in Electrochemistry; and he is currently in the editorial stage of a book to be added to the ECS Monograph series in 2022.

(more…)

Topic Close-up #4

Symposium B08: Porphyrins, Phthalocyanines, and Supramolecular Assemblies

Extended Deadline for Submitting Abstracts:
December 17, 2021

Topic Close-up #3

Symposium C01: Corrosion General Session

Extended Deadline for Submitting Abstracts:
December 17, 2021

During his ECS Masters Interview at the 2016 ECS PRiME Meeting, John Goodenough vulnerably disclosed that as a child, he had dyslexia and could not read like others his age. He described leaving home at the age of 12 for an affluent boarding school as a struggling scholarship student. Stories were shared about life events that led John on the path of science and discovery, as well as the individuals who supported and guided him along the way. And when asked about the dissemination of scientific content, John imparted his belief that scholarly societies are essentially in the business of fostering partnerships to serve the community at large. He emphasized the role of societies in creating space to convene the community to further scientific advancement.

The editorial teams of the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology and Journal of The Electrochemical Society have come together in the spirit of this belief. They are publishing a focus issue comprised of 80+ select invited papers celebrating and honoring the life, legacy, and contributions of beloved professor and longtime ECS member Dr. John B. Goodenough.

The full issue is scheduled to be available in May 2022—just two months before John’s 100^th birthday.

Topic Close-up #2

Symposium I06: Heterogeneous Functional Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage 3

Extended Deadline for Submitting Abstracts:
December 17, 2021