Oct 22 2015
With 3-D printing changing the world, one Northwestern undergraduate spent this past summer in the lab using this technology to create efficient and economic energy.
Nick Geisendorfer, a senior in the the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, won an undergraduate research grant to employ 3-D printing technology to test the possibilities of making a particular kind of fuel cell more efficient and marketable.
“Not many people are really researching this or trying to fabricate fuel cells this way,” Geisendorfer said.
He thinks solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, which produces electricity from the electrochemical oxidation of fuel without burning, could be an answer in the race to reduce carbon emissions.
Working alongside two different innovative engineers at the forefront of their respective fields, Geisendorfer found himself in the right place to push the limits of his research questions.
“This research experience this summer at Northwestern has really helped me figure out my future path,” Geisendorfer said.