I had the opportunity to volunteer (again) at a larger international conference, the 11th International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies (ICMAT2023) during the summer holidays. This conference was certainly the largest conference I have been in, with many scientists and researchers from all around the world gathered in one place to share about their research.
The most notable talk was the plenary lecture given by Professor Stanley Whittingham, the 2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry for his role in developing Li-ion batteries. In his lecture, he talked about the history of Li-ion batteries and challenges we have to overcome to improve the energy density, safety, and costs for Li-based batteries, which are crucial in overcoming global warming.
My role in the conference was the session assistant for Symposium M: Increasing Energy and Power Densities of Intercalation Batteries. During the various sessions, I was able to witness notable researchers in the field of energy storage share about their research – it was nice to finally put faces to the names that I had come across in numerous manuscripts.
Overall, it was a tiring but fulfilling experience. I am grateful to Professor Piero Canepa for providing me the opportunity to volunteer in this conference, and am looking forward to participate in more conferences in the future.