CWRU’s new electrochemical engineering workshop draws strong reviews in inaugural year
Case Western Reserve University launched its first Electrochemical Engineering Workshop this summer, drawing 17 participants from industry, national laboratories and universities across the country. The three-day program, held June 2-4, was co-hosted by CWRU’s Electronic Design Center (EDC) and Electrochemical Society (ECS) Fellow and professor of chemical engineering Rohan Akolkar, with sponsorship from the ECS.
Designed as a hands-on, applications-focused complement to CWRU’s electrochemical measurements workshop, the new program combined lectures, lab experiments and networking opportunities.
Participants represented many organizations and institutions, including De Nora Tech, Moses Lake Industries, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, UCLA, University of Michigan, Brigham Young University, and more. Attendees ranged from graduate students to R&D managers, engaging with topics from electrochemical thermodynamics to porous electrode theory.
The workshop also featured presentations from CWRU faculty and guest speakers covering specialized areas such as ionic liquids, computational electrochemistry and grid-scale energy storage. A networking reception organized with the ECS student chapter capped the second day to recognize participants, guest speakers and everyone involved in coordinating the workshop.
Feedback from the inaugural cohort was overwhelmingly positive, with an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5.
“As a participant from an industrial background, I found the Electrochemical Engineering Workshop to be highly valuable,” said Namal Wanninayake of De Nora Tech. “The lectures covered a broad range of fundamental concepts that are directly relevant to the work I do.”
Others praised the workshop’s structure and content. “The course was an excellent refresher for me,” Florence Binet of Schlumberger added. “The third day was also great, giving access to some of the ongoing research studies.”
The success of the inaugural session has already paved the way for a return in 2026. The next Electrochemical Engineering Workshop is scheduled for June 8-10, with registration opening in November 2025.
CWRU organizers extended their gratitude to ECS for its sponsorship, and well as the guest speakers, student teaching assistants and CWRU staff who helped make the workshop a successful experience for attendees: Rohan Akolkar, Milton and Tamar Maltz Professor of Energy Innovation; Nick Sinclair, staff scientist and adjunct instructor; Dr. Jennifer Hoffmann Stephenson, managing director for the Electrochemical Materials Fabrication Lab with CWRU’s Great Lakes Energy Institute; and Laurie Dudik, managing engineer of the Electronic Design Center, facilities manager and adjunct instructor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
