This fall, The Cooper Union is excited to welcome several new full-time faculty members to its academic programs. Tommy George joins the Albert Nerken School of Engineering as an assistant professor of chemistry. George recently completed a Ph.D. in materials science from Harvard University, specializing in electrochemistry. They also served as a pedagogy fellow with Harvard's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, working in this role as a peer-mentor for graduate students in teaching positions. 

Tell us about your research interests 

I am interested in electrochemistry! In general, chemical reactions involve some transfer of energy—like when a combustion reaction produces flame to emit heat and light—but electrochemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the exchange between chemical and electrical energy. Because of this, electrochemical processes can be powered directly by renewable sources of electricity. Electrochemistry holds great promise for the decarbonization of chemical processes toward a more sustainable future. 

One challenge my research seeks to address is that renewable energy can be intermittent, not readily available when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. The tools of electrochemistry can be used to design batteries that can be charged up with renewable electricity when it is abundant, like when the sun is highest in the sky, and discharged later when the energy is needed, like when the sun is setting and we want to turn on the lights. 

I am also interested in chemical education research to design experiences that put the tools of electrochemistry into the hands of as many learners as possible, and to empower students to use what they learn to address the challenges that are important to them and their communities. 

What brought you to The Cooper Union? 

I am inspired by The Cooper Union’s long-standing commitment to social justice, including its commitments to diversity and inclusion, free education, and partnerships with surrounding communities. And when I got the chance to meet students, staff, and faculty at Cooper, I had a powerful sense that this was a place that I wanted to be a part of. The hopeful project of education and research toward positive social impact seems to create a sense of warmth, curiosity, and ingenuity that comes through in interactions I’ve had with everyone at Cooper, and motivates me to engage, to keep learning and trying new things, and to find ways I can contribute. 

What aspects of teaching are you most excited about in the coming academic year at Cooper? 

I am so excited to meet the students and learn about what motivates them to study engineering and the problems they care about. We live in a world of atoms and molecules, so chemistry is fundamental to life itself; chemical concepts show up in all of our lives in a variety of big and small ways. I look forward to welcoming first-year students in my general chemistry (CH-110) class and working with them to build the fundamental knowledge and skills of chemical science. Through this process, I am hopeful that we will get to learn from each other. Every time I teach, I feel like I gain new ideas, perspectives, and questions, and I am sure I will feel that more than ever during my first year teaching at Cooper. I am especially excited that teaching and learning at Cooper is so hands-on and project based. I am looking forward to designing activities, labs, and research projects that will provide practical experience, familiarity with current technologies, and build skills in collaboration and problem solving.