Swanson Lecture

Lithium-based batteries are increasingly important to many areas of society due to their broad use in devices from electronics to automobiles as well as their potential to store energy from renewable energy sources. Improved safety and performance of these batteries are vital as their use continues to grow. This talk will describe my undergraduate research group’s synthesis and characterization of polymer materials for use in lithium-based batteries. Key to potential improvements is incorporating the ability to transport ions through an organic polymer. In the near future, materials like these may allow batteries to be less flammable, lighter, more flexible, and potential increase their energy or power capacity.

In 2019 Dr. Dean Waldow was awarded the Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Award by the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust in recognition of his impactful work as an academic researcher and mentor. The purpose of the award, which is part of the Murdock College Science Research Program, is to support and recognize undergraduate research in the natural sciences at four-year institutions across the Pacific Northwest.

The award is given to exemplary senior faculty members who run established, productive and nationally recognized research programs, and comes with $15,000 in funding and the opportunity for the recipient to deliver a lecture on their research. Due to Covid, Dr. Waldow’s lecture was postponed last year.

This event was held virtually on Thursday, May 6, 2021.