New program's interns gain first-hand experience with advanced battery manufacturing | College of Engineering

New program's interns gain first-hand experience with advanced battery manufacturing | College of Engineering
New program's interns gain first-hand experience with advanced battery manufacturing
Posted:
January 19, 2026
Through an intensive 10-week program, seven students from The Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College and Wilberforce University developed skills and insights to launch careers in advanced battery manufacturing through access to state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge systems and expert mentors in both industry and academia.
The inaugural cohort of interns in the experiential learning program, Bridging Academic Training Through Experiential Research and Innovation (BATTERI), gained industry insight and hands-on experience in multiple Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research (IMR) facilities, including the recently completed
Battery Cell R&D Center
. BATTERI was established with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program.
Interns on a tour of the Battery Cell R&D Center, which was partially funded by Honda.
“This program is more than a vehicle to explore new technologies, it will serve as a catalyst that will shape advanced manufacturing by lighting pathways for a diverse STEM workforce,” said IMR Director of Innovation Jay Sayre, BATTERI lead principal investigator and research associate professor in materials science and engineering.
Interns learned lab safety and scientific communication, and received hands-on training while working on real-world projects in multiple labs through the technical training curriculum portion of the program. In the entrepreneurial mindset portion, interns learned from mentors how to uncover and bring new discoveries to the market.
“As an electrical engineering and economics student, I was particularly drawn to how the program seamlessly wove together engineering innovation and entrepreneurial strategy,” said Achraf Elinani, who studies at Columbus State Community College. “The training offered me meaningful exposure to market analysis, value proposition development, and practical insights into what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur down the road.”
For intern Bennett Kolda, an Ohio State mechanical and aerospace engineering undergraduate student, the off-site facility tours of industry labs and manufacturing centers were particularly impactful. He stayed on as an IMR intern, along with Elinani and Ohio State electrical and computer engineering student Austin Porter, at the Battery Center.
“Through the BATTERI internship, I was able to return to the Battery Center this fall and continue working as a student employee. I am excited for the opportunity to continue the work we started this summer and contribute to the operations and research of the Battery Center.”
The application window for BATTERI 2026 internships is open through January 23, 2026. Visit the BATTERI webpage to learn more:
based on an
article
by IMR's Michael Huson
Categories:
Students
Research
Tag:
workforce development
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