In a battery, I strive to maximize electrical potential. When mentoring, I strive to maximize human potential.
If you want to make something dirt cheap, make it out of dirt–preferably dirt that is locally sourced.
If we're going to get this country out of its current energy situation, we can't just conserve our way out. We can't just drill our way out. We can't bomb our way out. We're going to do it the old-fashioned, American way. We're going to invent our way out, working together.
The liquid metal battery story is more than an account of inventing technology. It's a blueprint for inventing inventors.
The students who work with me believe in science in service of society, not science in service of career building.
With a giant battery, we'd be able to address the problem of intermittency that prevents wind and solar from contributing to the grid in the same way that coal and gas and nuclear do today.
How do we attack important problems? Pose the right question.
People would like better batteries but they are wary of making investments. What is required is both a technology push and a market pull.
Want to know the best thing about being a professor? Colored chalk.
In a wristwatch, imagine the battery is in the strap and there's a medical sensor in there connected to the internet. If someone is monitoring that, they could phone up if the user has forgotten to take some medication. This could save hundreds of dollars in medical fees later. What's missing? It's a stable battery.
