Register now to join the event on May 14

Graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral researchers interested in careers in electrochemical fields are invited to the free ECS Pacific Northwest Section inaugural Industry and Careers Day. 

To promote careers in electrochemistry, the event connects participants with industry and national laboratory representatives providing insights into careers in electrochemical fields, skills valued in job candidates, and upcoming opportunities in the rapidly expanding electrochemical technology area. 

You do not need to be an ECS member to participate in the webinar. You must pre-register for the event through your ECS My Account. Don’t have one? It’s easy to create–visit Create an Account now. (more…)

Shelley Minteer

The University of Utah’s Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry (CSOE) is proud to announce that they received a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund the CSOE’s Phase II development to improve the sustainability of synthetic chemistry. CSOE’s mission is to promote a safer alternative to traditional organic synthesis methods.

“If you think about industry, whether industry is making a pharmaceutical or a plastic, they’re doing a synthesis in an organic solvent and typically at high temperatures and sometimes at high pressures with possibly explosive materials. This is because most of the synthesis require oxidation or reduction reactions that typically is done chemically and not electrochemically. Those chemicals can cause safety issues when it comes to making pharmaceuticals and other value-added products,” says Shelley Minteer, professor of chemistry and CSOE director. (more…)

By: John C. Besley, Michigan State University; Aaron M. McCright, Michigan State University; Joseph D. Martin, University of Leeds; Kevin Elliott, Michigan State University, and Nagwan Zahry, Michigan State University

A soda company sponsoring nutrition research. An oil conglomerate helping fund a climate-related research meeting. Does the public care who’s paying for science?
In a word, yes. When industry funds science, credibility suffers. And this does not bode well for the types of public-private research partnerships that appear to be becoming more prevalent as government funding for research and development lags.

The recurring topic of conflict of interest has made headlines in recent weeks. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has revised its conflict of interest guidelines following questions about whether members of a recent expert panel on GMOs had industry ties or other financial conflicts that were not disclosed in the panel’s final report.

Our own recent research speaks to how hard it may be for the public to see research as useful when produced with an industry partner, even when that company is just one of several collaborators.

What people think of funding sources

We asked our study volunteers what they thought about a proposed research partnership to study the potential risks related to either genetically modified foods or trans fats.

We randomly assigned participants to each evaluate one of 15 different research partnership arrangements – various combinations of scientists from a university, a government agency, a nongovernmental organization and a large food company.

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ECS’s job board keeps you up-to-date with the latest career opportunities in electrochemical and solid state science. Check out the latest openings that have been added to the board.

P.S. Employers can post open positions for free!

ECS Journals Technical Editor
The Electrochemical Society – Pennington, NJ
ECS (The Electrochemical Society) is seeking to fill the position of Technical Editor of the Electronic and Photonic Devices and Systems Technical Interest Area for the ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology and ECS Solid State Letters.

Materials Scientist
Nano One Materials Corp. – Burnaby, Canada
Nano One is looking for an experienced, ambitious and creative scientist with proven organizational skills and an interest in industrial technology development. The successful candidate will be developing lithium ion cathode processing technologies as part of a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers and technologists.

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This week we’re sitting down with Subhash C. Singhal of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a world leader in the study of solid oxide fuel cells and one of the lead organizer of our upcoming Glasgow conference. Listen as we explore the culture of national laboratories and industry, the future of solid oxide fuel cells, Singhal’s upbringing in India, and more!

Listen below and download this episode and others for free though the iTunes Store (search “ECS Podcast”), SoundCloud, or our RSS Feed.

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ECS’s job board keeps you up-to-date with the latest career opportunities in electrochemical and solid state science. Check out the latest openings that have been added to the board.

P.S. Employers can post open positions for free!

Research Scientist – Silicon Materials
Institute for Energy Technology – Kjeller, Norway
The main tasks will be to perform R&D within the field of new technology and materials for production of high quality silicon materials for energy applications, within the framework of national and international R&D projects. Project management, supervision and development of future projects in collaboration with department staff and industry will also be key tasks.

Battery Design Engineer
Acme Aerospace, Inc. – Tempe, Arizona
Acme Aerospace, Inc. a leading manufacture that designs and manufactures custom batteries and battery control electronic systems for military and commercial aircraft applications is currently seeking a high energy, self-driven, detail oriented experienced individual accountable for design, development, pre-production and engineering projects related to FNC cells and batteries. Tasks include reviewing customer specifications and developing energy storage solutions that meet the customer requirements, as well as develop new battery concepts for emerging markets.