Powering Einstein's Garden
Back in 2011, a group of Prof. Dan Brett’s postgraduate students at University College London were set the challenge of powering Einstein’s Garden at Green Man festival using solely green energy.
By Hamish Reid
Using hard work and ingenuity, the students adapted a fuel cell stack capable of converting hydrogen gas to carbon-free electricity. The fuel cell stack found life as an outreach demonstration tool and thus UCell was born.
Today, we are a group of postgraduate students based at UCL aiming to inspire and educate the next generation of scientists. Over the last decade we’ve visited festivals, schools and science events to share our passion for batteries, fuel cells and green energy with children and adults alike.
We use practical presentations, such as hydrogen fuel cell cars, to engage audiences in science and provide a means of learning beyond the traditional classroom. Our 3 kW fuel cell stack continues to be a great demonstration tool, using emission-free electricity to power virtually anything, from thermal cameras to popcorn machines.
Apart from showcasing how science will shape tomorrow’s energy landscape, UCell also provides a platform for early-career researchers to explain the fundamentals of their everyday work to different audiences – we’ve found that curious students often ask the most challenging questions.
We were thrilled to be recently awarded grant from the Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund. So far we’ve used the support to upgrade our demonstration kits and expand our reach for school visits, recently running a successful two-day programme in Barking. Aside from running demonstrations and teaching science, we also explained the academic pathway to university, and described how enthusiasm for STEM subjects can lead to a vast array of careers.
We were particularly excited to attend COP26 in Glasgow this year, which wouldn’t have been possible without the extra funding. In partnership with the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN), we sent an intrepid volunteer (Zahra Rana) to set up a stand in Glasgow to demonstrate to students, policymakers, and other scientists how hydrogen fuel and energy storage will play a vital role in solving the energy crisis. To reflect the range of audiences, we set up a range of presentations, from a classic lemon battery to an explanation of the role of next-generation materials in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
As we head into 2022, UCell has a busy year ahead. We have a variety of school visits lined up around London and the South East, we’ll continue our contribution to scientific events throughout the UK, including Manchester and Cheltenham science festival. And, once again, you’ll be able to find us powering Einstein’s Garden at Green Man Festival.
None of this would be possible without the work of our volunteers, who continue to grow in number year on year. We’re also grateful for support from the RSC Outreach Fund and the Chemical Engineering department at UCL.
You can find out more about UCell on our website. You can also follow our Instagram – @ucell_ucl and Twitter – @UCellFC.
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Apply to our Outreach Fund
Our Outreach Fund is open for applications throughout 2022 for grants of up to £10,000!
Through the Fund we enable members, individuals and organisation to run chemistry-based engagement activities for families, members of the public and youth audiences in and out of schools. We are especially interested in supporting projects which aim to engage under-represented audiences in their activities as well as projects themed around sustainability.
Look at recent examples of funded projects, and apply to the fund now.