Today@Dal

Jeff Dahn’s battery-research group at Dalhousie University in Halifax is about to begin a long-term project for Tesla Motors Inc., helping the electric car company’s batteries hold more charge, last longer and become cheaper to manufacture.

Prof. Dahn and his students have been working for years on ways to make lithium-ion batteries more efficient, but the Tesla partnership, which was unveiled last year and begins this June, has boosted his lab’s profile sharply. Interest in its research, which could help accelerate the shift off fossil fuels, has blossomed.

“When the Tesla announcement was made … my e-mail box went bananas, especially with students interested in doing graduate work, because Tesla is very recognizable,” Prof. Dahn said. His work includes developing better battery electrodes and creating devices that measure how long a lithium-ion battery will last.

It’s not only Tesla that has recognized Prof. Dahn’s work as an important contributor to technology, and society as a whole. He is one of six winners of the first annual Governor-General’s Innovation Awards that are being named Thursday.

The award program, first announced last summer by Governor-General David Johnston, highlights innovators who have boosted Canada’s quality of life. The idea is to shine a light on all kinds of innovation and inspire young people to see the value of doing creative work.

The overall goal is to “change the culture in the country, to enhance the notion of innovation, and to help Canadians see themselves as an innovative nation,” Mr. Johnston said in an interview. One reason he pushed for the establishment of the award was that he was worried Canadians might have become too complacent, and he wasn’t sure that “we embrace change with sufficient enthusiasm.”

The list of winners, in addition to Prof. Dahn, includes four individuals or organizations working in the medical field, ranging from a maker of robotic arms to a researcher who developed a burn treatment using nanotechnology. Another winner, Métis visual artist Christi Belcourt, was honoured for her innovative use of artwork to raise awareness of violence against indigenous women.

Read more (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/battery-researcher-wins-governor-generals-innovation-award/article29774659/?cmpid=rss1)