9th De Nora Symposium

Despite the challenges that 2020 brought us, we have recognized the crucial role the Annual De Nora Symposium plays in positioning the company as a leading and impactful innovator. As we face new challenges, there is an increased drive and motivation to connect and engage with external innovation stakeholders and strategic partners to advance De Nora’s vision.

As a result, De Nora Tech elected to host the Annual De Nora Symposium virtually. In addition to hosting a global audience, we opted to conduct the first-ever Student Pitch Competition in lieu of the traditional poster sessions. Hosting the event virtually proved to be a great success attracting the industry’s thought leaders, strategic catalyzers and a global audience of active participants.

The decision to conduct the Annual De Nora Symposium in a virtual setting has allowed us to experiment and significantly expand the program for all attendees. In an effort to allow the largest audience possible - from nearly every continent - the event was held across several consecutive days, consisting of multiple sessions. Attendees (both industry experts and students) represented the countries of Brazil, USA, UAE, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Italy, France, Germany, India, China, Japan, UK, and Finland.

The expanded program covered the following topics:
• Fuel cell technologies
• Water treatment technologies: PFAS removal, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), Disinfection byproducts (DBPs)
• Sustainable innovation (NEW)
• Digital transformation and the Internet of Things (NEW)

STUDENT PITCH COMPETITION

New for 2020!

A virtual platform made it possible for De Nora to incorporate the first-ever Student Pitch Competition in place of poster sessions. From the numerous applications received, we selected 17 students who pitched their research projects. These projects were evaluated by De Nora judges using the following criteria: description of problem/opportunity, innovation and technical feasibility of the solution, potential impact, quality of the visual support, and poise/style of the pitch. The winners received internships with De Nora as well as cash prizes. The engagement and quality of the presented research projects were impressive.

STUDENT WINNERS

Ethan Arnold-Paine (University of Pittsburgh)

Daniel Ocasio (University of California, Berkeley)

Qianhong Zhu (Yale University)

SPEAKERS

Fuel Cells:
Sanjeev Mukarjee (Northeastern University), Chulsung Bae (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), Yushan Yan (University of Delaware), Loredana Magistri (University of Genoa, IT), Darija Susac (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Bryan Pivovar (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Water Technologies:
Michael Wong (Rice University), David Sanchez (University of Pittsburgh), William Mitch (Stanford University), David Reckhow and Patrick Wittbold (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Mohamed Ateia (Northwestern University)

Sustainable Innovation:
Carine Mineau (WeCo, FR), Emanuele Biraghi (UNICEF, Cote d’Ivoire)

Digital Transformation and Internet of Things:
Micheal Askins (TaseLabs), Patrick Bangert (Algorithmica), Jacopo Piana (Quick Algorithm, IT), Sami Remes and Harri Kaukovalta (Silo.ai, Finland)

PANELISTS

Fuel Cells:
Bryan Pivovar (National Renewable Energy Lab), Iryna Zenyuk (University of California, Irvine), Andrew Thomas (Cleveland State University)

Water Technologies:
Meagan Mauter (Stanford University and NAWI), William Mitch (Stanford University and ReNUWIt), Ernest Davis (Rice University and NEWT)
(Note: NAWI, ReNUWIt, and NEWT are industry-academia consortia and programs active in the world of water; De Nora is particularly involved in NEWT)

THANK YOU TO ALL
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of our De Nora colleagues, guests, and students who took the time to attend and participate in the 9th Annual De Nora Symposium.