Kaler Science Lecture Series Tackles Energy Storage Solutions

Parkland Planetarium Hosts Kaler Science Lecture Series, April 1

This April's James B. Kaler Science Lecture at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College will discuss batteries and energy storage.

On Friday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m., University of Illinois associate professor of chemistry Dr. Joaquín Rodríguez-López, will present "Thinking Big About Batteries: A Solution for Energy Storage." Kaler Lecture tickets are $2 or free for Friends of the Staerkel Planetarium.

Rodríguez-López's research group explores new strategies to advance renewable electrochemical energy technologies and environmental sensing. They analyze electrode properties at micro- and nano-scales to improve the performance of nanomaterials and interfaces for batteries, electrocatalysts, and sensors for detecting pollutants, in order to make technology more sustainable.

Rodríguez-López earned his bachelor's degree at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, and his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin. He performed postdoctoral research at Cornell University before joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has earned several awards and fellowships for his work and is now a J. Andrew and Susan S. Langan Professorial Scholar.

Kaler Science lectures are filmed by Parkland College TV for later viewing. After the talk, the seats will be cleaned before the 8 p.m. show, "Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries," a program highlighting the staff who work with Chile's world-class observatories and telescopes.

Admission to fulldome shows is $6 for adults or $5 for children, students, or seniors. Please visit parkland.edu/planetarium for the show schedule or call 217/351-2568 for information about booking the dome.