Hi everyone!
My name is Giulio Siciliano, and I’m an undergraduate researcher recently selected for the NASA Undergraduate Student Research Challenge (USRC). This competitive program provides funding for undergraduate students across the nation to work on innovative, NASA-related projects. Our group will be conducting research under the supervision of Dr. Ralph E. White and Dr. Paul T. Coman.
My team and I are developing a new kind of battery, called a “structural battery”, that can both store energy and serve as part of a vehicle’s structure. The battery uses carbon fiber to integrate itself into the vehicle design and help make future electric vehicles and airplanes:
As part of the USRC, we must raise $2,200 through crowdfunding to unlock the full NASA grant and support a full year of research. This crowdfunding is designed to help undergraduate students learn how to share their work with the community and build skills in science communication. The funds raised will go directly toward materials, lab equipment, and supporting our student research team.
Any contribution, no matter the size, will help launch this project and bring sodium-ion batteries from the lab to real-world applications. If you can’t donate, sharing this campaign is another powerful way to support our work. Thank you for helping us take this step toward more sustainable aerospace technologies.
This material is based upon a grant proposal selected by NASA for a grant award of $58,000, subject to successful crowdfunding. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASA.
For more information, please visit:
The image above is titled "Sodium Structural Battery" and features a graphic of a square, layered object on the left with a black layer on the top and bottom and a thicker light yellow layer in the middle. The black layers are labeled "Carbon filter" and the thicker light yellow layer in the middle is labeled "solid separator". Below the object is a list reading "lighter, safer, eco-friendly." An arrow leading from the object to the top right side of the graphic points to an image of an airplane. An arrow leading from the object to the bottom right side of the graphic points to an image of a car, underneath which it reads "Energy storage and structural support".
University of South Carolina / Carolina Fund
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