For the third year running, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering students will bring their expertise and a lot of fun to Battery Day at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
Battery Day, running from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 12, will offer museumgoers a chance to build their own working batteries and hear from PME PhD candidates about how the technology is powering the transition to renewable energy.
The event is free with museum admission.
“Batteries are important in a way children can understand,” said PME Asst. Prof. Chibueze Amanchukwu, who created the event. “They know their game controllers, phones and, for the younger ones, toys won’t work without them. We can use that as a starting point to explain how these technologies can be used to fight climate change and to power cars and cities.”
“Plus,” Amanchukwu added, “Building batteries is fun.”
PME Assistant Dean of Education and Outreach Laura Rico-Beck can attest to the fun from past Battery Days, seeing the excitement in a child’s eyes when the complicated topic clicks.
“You can see how the immediate excitement of building a real working battery cell from scratch begins to transfer into the idea that STEM is about solving problems, collaborating, and trying things out. And it is something in which everyone can take part,” she said.
Emily Doyle, a PhD candidate in the Amanchukwu Lab, is the lead student on the Battery Day team and has participated every year.
“Often the discussions I have with the students leads the older family members to ask follow up questions, often about more application-based technological concepts,” Doyle said. “I think that the Battery Day setting is a fantastic way to get young students interested in science so that they can grow up to solve the challenges we are encountering, but also it is a way to educate the community through interactions with their parents and other family members.”
But the fun has a serious side. New, more powerful, less expensive batteries are a global priority as the planet needs to transition off fossil fuels. Large, grid-scale batteries store massive amounts of renewable energy for use when the sun isn’t shining on solar panels or the wind isn’t turning turbines.
“Climate change can be an overwhelming topic, especially for young people, and framing the discussion with a solution focus can be much more empowering,” Rico-Beck said. “Everyone is familiar with batteries, so taking this common object and exploring how it can be a transformative innovation is a great way to engage. “
The event is part of the MSI’s Science Works STEM job fair, run in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month.
“It is very different if young people don’t pursue careers in STEM because they are uninterested rather than due to a lack of STEM exposure,” said Museum Community Engagement Manager Dulce Enriquez. “We know that STEM exposure matters, representation matters and there are many things young people are interested in that likely connect to STEM in some capacity. We are here to provide them with resources and safe spaces where their questions and conversations may spark curiosity and help them find their pathway.”
Amanchukwu, a noted battery researcher recently named both an Innovator Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review and one of the Talented 12 by Chemical & Engineering News, created the event as part of his National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award.