Outreach

SuMMa Outreach Activity - July 2025

On 13th July 2025 a public outreach activity was held at the Cutlery Works in Sheffield, engaging around 30 children, accompanied by their parents. The session focused on introducing the science of battery production through interactive, hands-on activities. The participants used mock-gloveboxes specially designed for outreach, to simulate the process of assembling coin-cells, from preparing safe “cathode slurries” to cutting out “lithium chips” and constructing these into a model cell. All materials were safe for public use, and the activity interested the young people, who asked many questions throughout. The event was well received by the children and their parents, with positive feedback highlighting the fun, engaging and educational nature of the outreach activity. 

The activity was planned and led by Cole Purvis and Demei Niu, our SuMMa PhD students, with the support of Dr Enrique Sanchez Perez, a SuMMa postdoctoral researcher. Cole, Demei and Enrique are based at the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. Read more about the SuMMa team.