Haleh Ardebili has received the Emmy Noether Medal from the Society of Engineering Science (SES) for her “pioneering contributions to the development of solid electrolytes for stretchable batteries and the promotion of science to the general public.”
“The SES Emmy Noether medal celebrates [excellence] in engineering and recognizes Noether’s fundamental contributions to the development of conservation laws which are foundational to the field of engineering sciences,” said former SES president and Bill D. Cook Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Yashashree Kulkarni.
Emmy Noether was a 20th century German mathematician and an instrumental theorist in the foundations of modern abstract algebra, and Noether’s Theorem fundamentally transformed physics’ understanding of the universe. She was featured by John Lienhard in an early episode (#226) of The Engines of Our Ingenuity in the late 1980s; the show still continues today under an expanded team of presenters and writers, which includes Ardebili herself.
“I’m very honored,” said Ardebili of her recognition with this award. “It’s really a privilege to be selected for this inaugural award. I appreciate that my work has been recognized both on the material science side, in my research on stretching polymers and their applications to stretchable batteries, as well as the educational side, interfacing with the general public through the Engines [of Our Ingenuity] radio program. It’s a privilege to be in the position to provide brief, accessible discussions related to science and technology to the greater public, both in Houston and beyond.”
Ardebili’s research into stretchable polymers is dual purpose: it enables the development of more sophisticated deformable batteries, which can be integrated into items such as textiles with integrated electronics like biosensors and communications technology, but it also advances overall scientific research and understanding of stretchable polymers and ion conductivity.
“There are direct applications for this technology, of course, but this problem and this question were not fully answered in science,” she said. “This really sparked my curiosity, so we wanted to try to answer this open question and address a gap in the body of scientific knowledge. That’s what we’re really trying to do.”