Co-branded with the UC San Diego Sustainable Power and Energy Center (SPEC), this summer school will introduce the fundamental design principles and operation mechanisms of lithium-ion batteries, as well as techniques to fabricate and evaluate their performance. SPEC works on research and development of higher-performance and lower-cost materials and devices for energy generation, storage and conversion.
The summer school three key key focus areas are:
- Materials and chemistry of lithium-ion batteries
- Theory and modeling of cell operation
- Fabrication, testing and performance evaluation
For 2024 application guidelines, please visit spec.ucsd.edu.
For questions, please contact Professor Ping Liu: piliu@eng.ucsd.edu and Professor Zheng Chen: zhengchen@eng.ucsd.edu
2024 Participants
Chapele, Oghenechovwe (Chovwe)
Bio: "Chovwe" Divine Chapele is a high school student (class of 2025) at Mission Vista High School, participating in the 2024 SPEC Battery Bootcamp as a trainee. They are interested in electrical engineering and physics as well as research in material conductivity, focusing on cost effectiveness and sustainability. In their free time, Chovwe enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, doing linguistics puzzles and eating out with their family.
ORCID: 0009-0003-7022-7016
Mentor: Anthony Mu
Feague, Greta
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Mentor: Jiao Lin
Kim, Namseo
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Mentor: Anthony Mu
Kim, Sihyu
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Mentor: Junlin Wu
Liu, Anthony
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Mentor: Anthony Mu
Liu, Ethan
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Mentor: Maura Appleberry
Manaanuntakul, Fourth
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Mentor: Maura Appleberry
Monge, Malia
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Mentor: Quishi Miao
Potts, Christopher
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Mentor: Varun Gupta
Quaranta, Gaia
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Mentor: Quishi Miao
Ta, Anthony C.
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Mentor: Ethan Alter
Tang, Selene
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Mentor: Junlin Wu
Tran, Austin
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Mentor: Varun Gupta
Levy, Aaron (Ambassador Participant)
Bio: Aaron is a third-year undergraduate student at California State University of Long Beach (CSULB), studying Chemistry and Materials Sciences. His previous research consists of analyzing ammonium perchlorate as a rocket fuel oxidizer in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, testing concrete which uses alkaline resistant bacteria to self-heal when damaged, and microplastic characterization/identification from environmental samples. He was admitted to the UCSD-CSULB Doctoral Diversity Initiative (DDI) in 2023 and is returning for 2024 SPEC Battery Boot Camp.
ORCID: 0009-0009-3547-025X
2024 Mentor Participant
Alter, Ethan
Bio: Research - Battery cell development, degradation, analysis, characterization
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Appleberry, Maura
Bio: Ph.D student & Technical Program Manager at Titan Advanced Energy Solutions
Research - Battery recycling
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Gupta, Varun
Bio: Research - Battery recycling
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Lin, Jiao
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Miao, Quishi
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Mu, Anthony U.
Bio: Anthony is a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Zheng Chen's group in the Department of NanoEngineering at UC San Diego. His current research focuses on the development of metal-organic framework-based ionic conductors for batteries. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Texas A&M University, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry under the tutelage of Professor Lei Fang. His dissertation work focused on controlling the conformation of π-conjugated organic molecules using hydrogen-bond interactions. He enjoys spending time with family, traveling, hiking, and gymnastics in his free time.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7689-4413
Wu, Junlin
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2023 Participants
Amorin Cotrina, Jackelin
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BIO: Jackelin is a graduate student at UC San Diego in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department. Jackelin is excited to learn about product design and manufacturing engineering and her research is focused in metal 3D printing and analyzing material structure of printed metal samples.
Brew, Sarah
ORCID: 0009-0008-5738-4937
BIO: Sarah is a rising third-year Nanoengineering undergraduate major at UCSD. She is interested in nanotechnology's applications in solar energy and energy storage. In her free time, she enjoys playing instruments, playing tennis, and gaming.
Daniel, Ezana
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BIO: Ezana is a rising 4th year chemical engineering student at UC San Diego with an interest in the Lithium Battery field. Currently, he works in Professor Kent Griffith's lab, using solid state NMR spectroscopy to characterize, and evaluate the qualities of battery materials. Ezana believes the next step in renewable energy production is going to be how to store and discharge it in safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly ways and looks forward to being a part of the movement.
Lam, Nicholas
ORCID: 0009-0000-7983-1621
BIO: Nicholas is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego, and his interests lie at the intersection between chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology. He is interested in exploring sustainable energy generation and storage applications. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors, trying new foods, and spending time with family and friends.
Lee, Jonathan
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BIO: Jonathan is a 4th Year Chemical Engineering student at UC San Diego. He is a team lead on Chem-E Car's competition team, member of Hydrogen Storage for AICHE projects. Jonathan's research interest is in clean energy technology.
Levy, Aaron
ORCID: 0009-0009-3547-025X
BIO: Aaron is an second-year undergraduate student at California State University of Long Beach, studying Chemistry and Materials Sciences. His previous research was analyzing ammonium perchlorate as a rocket fuel oxidizer in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and is currently working on experimentation with self-healing concrete via alkaline resistant bacteria. He was admitted to the UCSD-CSULB Doctoral Diversity Initiative and is participating in the UCSD MRSEC 2023 RIMSE/SPEC Battery boot camp. Aaron is looking forward to a summer in San Diego and going camping and exploring new parts of Southern California and hopefully Baja California.
Lu, Caroline
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BIO: Caroline is a current participant in the SPEC Battery boot camp and is rising first year at UC Santa Barbara majoring in Biochemistry. She enjoys going to the gym, hanging out with friends, listening to music, and going to the beach. She’s passionate about in going into research with her future degree in Biochemistry.
McNulty, Seamus
ORCID: 0009-0000-1941-4703
BIO: Seamus McNulty is a 4th year undergraduate student at UC San Diego studying chemical engineering. He currently is assisting with research on energy storage and electrochemistry in order to help meet the growing need for more sustainable technology. After graduation, Seamus hopes to continue his research into more sustainable technologies and carry that knowledge into the industry. Whether it is working on energy storage or other sustainable measures, Seamus hopes to use his knowledge to create a sustainable future.
Qin, Jianting (Jane)
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BIO: Jane is a rising senior studying chemical engineering at UC San Diego and has experience in both Lithium ion and Sodium ion batteries. Jane plans to do further research in sustainable energy and battery related areas after graduating.
Ruff, Christian
ORCID: 0009-0003-0599-5457
BIO: Christian Ruff is an undergraduate Chemistry major at the University of South Carolina. His interests span nanotechnology and their applications in energy devices and the environment. Currently, he conducts research in Dr. Morgan Stefik's group on block copolymers that afford nanostructured materials. In his free time, he loves to learn languages, exercise, and watch random YouTube videos.
Wurst, Diego
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BIO: Diego is an undergraduate student at then UC San Diego pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. He is participating in the 2023 SPEC battery camp and has an interest in chemistry and nano materials and technology.
Young, Thomas
ORCID: 0009-0003-9780-1065
BIO: Thomas is a rising Boston University sophomore studying Mechanical and Computer Engineering. He is interested in aerodynamics, control systems, and computer architecture. In his free time, he enjoys 3D-printing, backpacking, scuba diving, sailing, practicing martial arts, and researching virtual reality applications.
Zhou, Jiachi
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Zhou, Larissa
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BIO: Larissa is an incoming freshman at UC Irvine (class of 2027) majoring in chemical engineering. She has experience making lithium-ion batteries and is participating in the SPEC Battery boot camp this summer. She likes going to the gym, painting, going on strolls, playing sports, and traveling.