ECS Student Chapter at UConn
August 12, 2024 | Jordan Baker, Center for Clean Energy Engineering
An Inaugural Event to Prepare for the 245th 2024 ECS Spring Meeting
The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Student Chapter at the University of Connecticut hosted an inaugural event on Friday May 17th. This event was organized by the chapter’s officers, Christabel Adjah-Tetteh (President), Al Kasani (Vice President), Alanna Gado (Secretary), Oluwafemi Sanumi (Treasurer), which included two keynote presentations and six student presenters to prepare for the 245th ECS Conference in San Fransisco, California.
The ECS Student Chapter at UConn was created to provide both undergraduates and graduate students with an established community where they can make connections, share impactful research, and find resources. The chapter will give students a sense of community and broaden their network both within UConn and the ECS community. There is a growing community of students who are passionate about electrochemistry and sustainability, especially at UConn. The timing of this chapter aligns perfectly with the ongoing industrial collaborations, recent grant awards, and cutting-edge research.
At the inaugural chapter event, students presented their various research focuses within clean energy and engineering to an audience of faculty and their peers. This offered an opportunity to practice presenting and answering questions, before presenting at the 245th ECS 2024 Spring Meeting. They were able to work on their communication skills, enhancing their ability to communicate their research effectively.
One of the students, Mariah Batool, who presented her research at the conference said of the opportunity, “I found this experience immensely valuable. It allowed us to refine our presentation materials and practice our delivery while receiving insightful feedback and suggestions from seasoned ECS members. Not only did the experience improve technical aspects, but it helped boost our self-confidence and articulation skills.”
Dr. Drew Wong, one of the keynote speakers, presenting his research at LLNL. (Jordan Baker/UConn photo)
In addition to the student speakers, two scholars were invited to give a keynote speech at the event. The first speaker, Dr. Andrew “Drew” Wong, a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL), spoke about his journey of being an electrochemist. His presentation provided insight for those considering furthering their degree or who are interested in working in a national lab environment. He summarized his educational background and his journey from Dartmouth to Harvard, where he received his PhD. His talk gave students insight into his educational and career path where he discussed how he ended up at LLNL and his work in climate and energy security as well as climate resilience. He addressed the question of how life experiences enable the individual to become a successful researcher at a national lab while also providing a glimpse into the “real life” of a graduate student/engineer.
The second speaker, Dr. Honghong Lin, a senior research scientist at the Toyota Research Institute of North America. She holds a PhD. in inorganic chemistry from Brown University. Her research talk focused on catalyst synthesis for use in fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and other green chemistry reactions. Her research was of immense interest to the ECS Student Chapter at UConn. Her talk provided students with a strong example of how to effectively communicate and present their research.
Both keynote speakers gave students feedback on their presentations and furthered discussion on their research. This was a valuable experience for all involved.
The ECS Student Chapter was initiated and advised by Prof. Xiao-Dong Zhou, Director of Center for Clean Energy Engineering and the Nicholas E. Madonna Chair in Sustainability at UConn. Ms. Sheila Ciccone helped organize this event.
A huge thank you to the keynote speakers who provided both students and faculty with insightful takeaways.
Graduate student Alanna Gado presenting her research. (Jordan Baker/UConn photo)
Zhiqiao Zeng presenting his research. (Jordan Baker/UConn photo)
