The Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR) at The Ohio State University is introducing a new program designed to create pathways for individuals with various levels of experience in STEM fields to enter the rapidly growing workforce in clean-tech battery manufacturing for the automotive industry.
This program will provide unique career training and hands-on learning opportunities, equipping participants with the skills to develop and deploy advanced battery technologies that meet industry standards.
The program was recently funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program. Through ExLENT, NSF has announced more than $30 million in investments to nearly 40 institutions of higher education and nonprofits throughout the U.S.
The resulting program at Ohio State, named BATTERI (Bridging Academic Training Through Experiential Research and Innovation), is led by IMR. The institute also operates the university’s Energy Innovation Lab at Nanotech West Lab and the upcoming $22-million Battery Cell R&D Center. BATTERI is the first funded program for the Battery Center, which is scheduled to open in Carmenton district on West Campus in 2025.
“We’re excited and grateful to have this new program. It’s more than a vehicle to explore new technologies; it will serve as a catalyst that will shape advanced manufacturing by lighting pathways for a diverse STEM workforce,” said IMR Director of Innovation Jay Sayre, who is the lead PI for BATTERI and also a research associate professor in Materials Science and Engineering.
Through BATTERI, students aiming to augment their skill sets will benefit from experiential learning activities that immerse them in clean-tech manufacturing. These activities will enhance the development of skills, knowledge, and professional networks essential for both technical and entrepreneurial careers in advanced battery manufacturing.
BATTERI’s experiential learning will offer two complementary routes. One will help students foster entrepreneurial mindsets through market analysis and value proposition development. The other will put students in the lab, where they will work on real projects and receive technical workforce training tailored to battery and electric vehicle manufacturing needs.
Ohio State student researcher works at a glovebox at the Energy Innovation Lab at Nanotech West Lab.
During these research activities, students will be guided by Ohio State faculty and automotive industry partners Honda and Schaeffler Americas. Lab activities will be conducted in IMR’s 22,000-square-foot Battery Center and Energy Innovation Lab. In these spaces, students will have the opportunity to apply new techniques to research challenges, present findings to industry stakeholders, and refine their projects based on feedback, ensuring a seamless transition from learning to practical application.
Along with partners Honda and Schaeffler, the BATTERI program brings together a core team of collaborators from multiple Ohio State colleges and institutes, as well as Columbus State Community College to better ensure that a wide range of participants can benefit from BATTERI resources and training. Participating Ohio State units include the Sustainability Institute, the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, and the departments of Educational Studies and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
BATTERI will also expand the diverse talent pool of our participants through Ohio State’s NSF-sponsored EmPOWERment Program on Convergent Graduate Training for a Sustainable Energy Future.
“The Ohio State EmPOWERment Program is developing a pipeline of innovative graduates who can address the myriad challenges of a just transition to environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable energy systems,” said Jeff Bielicki, program director of the Ohio State EmPOWERment Program. “Bridging the development of academic knowledge through interdisciplinary collaboration with practical application that address the needs for clean-tech manufacturing is an essential component of developing people who can exercise leadership in the next generation energy workforce.”
BATTERI is set to receive funding for three years through NSF’s ExLENT. In that time, IMR envisions scaling the program to include participation from additional colleges and universities in the region to further foster and support a diverse, inclusive workforce prepared for the growing demands of the advanced battery manufacturing industry.
“NSF is committed to creating new career pathways for all Americans from the full range of professional and educational backgrounds interested in working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), in a release by the foundation. “ExLENT helps ensure that all workers have access to essential opportunities to gain on-the-job training in good-quality, well-paying jobs, helping ensure upward socioeconomic mobility and position the U.S. in the vanguard of competitiveness for decades to come.”
Learn more about NSF Award #2347027 here, at the NSF website.
Story by IMR communications coordinator Mike Huson. Contact: huson.4@osu.edu.
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BATTERI team members, from left to right: IMR innovation manager Kari Roth; IMR proposal development specialist Joanna Gardner; IMR program assistant Laurie Coyne; Co-PI Matthew Mayhew, William Ray and Marie Adamson Flesher Professor of Educational Administration; Jung-Hyun Kim, associate professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; PI Jay Sayre, IMR director of innovation; Qingmin Xu, Energy Innovation Laboratory manager at Nanotech West Lab; Co-PI Lenroy Jones, director of Career Services at Columbus State Community College; Co-PI Caroline Crisafulli, director of Entrepreneurial Education at the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship; and Co-PI Jeff Bielicki, program director of the Ohio State EmPOWERment Program, not pictured.