๐ UA Researchers Crack the Code on Battery Safety
๐ฌ Predicting Battery Hotspots with AI ๐ฟ The Link Between Body Temperature and Plant-Eating ๐ Fostering Undergraduate Research Excellence
Based on the 9/16/24 Jump In Tucson Show on KVOI-1030AM.
โฎ๏ธ ICYMI: From the Last Showโฆ
๐ฝ Keepinโ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
๐ง๐พโ๐พ๐ฆ๐พ
๐ฌ Scientists at a big school called the University of Arizona are doing cool stuff! ๐ They're trying to make batteries safer so our phones and cars don't get too hot. ๐ฆ They also found out that animals that eat only plants haven't been around as long as we thought, and they need warm bodies to digest leaves. ๐ One really smart student worked on these projects and now she's going to an even bigger school to learn more!
๐๏ธ Takeaways
๐ UA researchers developed an AI algorithm to predict thermal issues in lithium-ion batteries, potentially improving safety in electric vehicles and electronics.
๐ฆ A study found that herbivory in tetrapods evolved relatively recently, about 110 million years ago, coinciding with the rise of flowering plants.
๐ก๏ธ Higher body temperatures appear necessary for animals to evolve herbivorous diets, likely due to the need for specific gut bacteria.
๐ The success of undergraduate researcher Kristen Sabin highlights the importance of research opportunities for students at universities.
๐ป Radio Show Topics
๐ Revolutionizing Battery Safety: Predicting Thermal Issues in Lithium-Ion Cells
Dr. Vitaly Yurkiv, an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona, and his former doctoral student, Dr. Basab Goswami, have made significant strides in battery safety research. Their work focuses on predicting and preventing thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries, a critical issue for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and other battery-powered devices.
The research team developed an AI-driven algorithm that can track changes in battery parameters, potentially forecasting which cells might be at risk of overheating or explosion. This breakthrough could have far-reaching implications for battery management systems in various applications, from smartphones to electric cars.
Dr. Goswami explained the importance of their work: "We can on the go when we are driving the car we can train the AI network based on the BMS system to record the temperature changes within the battery with time and based on that training data set it can have the capability to in the future it can predict okay what's the temperature is going to be or if any of the cells can have that kind of a hotspot formation."
The researchers' findings have garnered international attention and could make rechargeable battery-operated devices safer and more reliable.
๐ Fostering Excellence: Undergraduate Research at the University of Arizona
The discussion highlighted the University of Arizona's commitment to undergraduate research, exemplified by Kristen Sabin's success story. As a student under Dr. John Wiens in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Sabin demonstrated exceptional academic prowess and research capabilities.
Dr. Wiens described Sabin's achievements: "She did a bunch of research with me, she did a bunch of research for NASA and spent some summers with NASA as well. And yeah, so that was a lot of her time doing that but and then also doing actually a couple of papers with me and but all doing all of that while also maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average."
Sabin's accomplishments, including co-authoring research papers and working with NASA, showcase the opportunities available to motivated undergraduate students at research-intensive universities. Her subsequent acceptance into Harvard's Ph.D. program further underscores the quality of preparation students can receive through engagement in meaningful research projects during their undergraduate years.
๐ฆ Evolutionary Insights: Body Temperature and Diet in Vertebrates
Dr. John Wiens, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, shared fascinating research on the relationship between body temperature and diet in tetrapods (mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians). The study, co-authored with then-undergraduate Kristen Sabin, provides new perspectives on the evolution of herbivory in these animal groups.
Key findings from their research include:
Tetrapods started as carnivores about 350 million years ago.
Transitions to herbivory (plant-eating) occurred relatively recently, within the last 110 million years.
The rise of herbivory coincides with the dominance of flowering plants in plant communities.
Higher body temperatures appear to be necessary for evolving herbivory, likely because specific gut bacteria need to break down cellulose.
Dr. Wiens explained: "You need to have a high body temperature to evolve to become an herbivore, but there's no problem with having a high body temperature not being an herbivore. It's you need the high body temperature to be an herbivore."
This research challenges previous assumptions about the relationship between diet and body temperature, suggesting that body temperature may be a determining factor in diet evolution rather than the other way around.
๐ฌ The Future of Energy Storage Research
The discussion touched on the broader implications of battery research for future energy solutions. With the Biden administration announcing a $1.7 billion fund for battery research, there's a clear national priority on advancing energy storage technologies.
Dr. Goswami, now working at a startup called Rich Top Group, mentioned their efforts to secure funding and develop battery simulation software. This highlights the growing intersection between academic research and industry applications in energy storage.
The conversation also touched on the need for standardization in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, pointing to ongoing efforts to create universal charging standards across the United States.
These topics collectively illustrate the dynamic nature of scientific research and its potential impacts on technology, energy, and our understanding of evolutionary biology. They also showcase universities' important role in fostering cutting-edge research and preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers.
If you enjoyed this article, buy us a cup of coffee!
๐ฏ People Mentioned
Dr. Ed Ackerley: Host of Jump in Tucson
Dr. Basab Goswami: Recently graduated doctoral student
"So I have been employed at a startup company called Rich Top Group as a senior battery simulation engineer."
Dr. Vitaly Yurkiv: Assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona
"Yes, I started my journey at the University of Arizona two years ago. So I moved here from Chicago to aerospace and mechanical engineering."
Kristen Sabin: Former undergraduate student, now pursuing PhD at Harvard
Dr. John Wiens: "She did a bunch of research with me, she did a bunch of research for NASA and spend some summers with NASA as well."
Dr. John Wiens: Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Science at the University of Arizona
"I kind of have three main areas that I study so one is like the origins of biodiversity so like why there's more species in the tropics than the temperate zone and why there's more flowering plants than say mosses."