Faculty joins clean-tech battery manufacturing careers program

Matthew Mayhew, a professor of higher education and student affairs (HESA), will coordinate the internal evaluation of a new program at Ohio State to support the rapidly growing workforce in clean-tech battery manufacturing for the automotive industry.

Funded by a $1 million, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation, the program will recruit Columbus State Community College, Wilberforce University and Ohio State students with various levels of experience in STEM fields for the opportunity.  

“Bridging Academic Training Through Experiential Research and Innovation” (BATTERI) is led by Principal Investigator Jay Sayre, director of innovation for the Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research and an assistant vice president for the university’s Office of Research. The program involves collaboration by a core Ohio State team that includes industry partners Honda and Schaeffler Americas. 

“Centering students is part of HESA at Ohio State's legacy and brand,” said Mayhew, who is a co-principal investigator of the grant and the college’s William Ray and Marie Adamson Flesher Professor Educational Administration.

“We’re excited and grateful to have this new program,” said Sayre, who also is a research associate professor in the College of Engineering. “It’s 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.” 

“Professor Mayhew’s College Impact Laboratory undertakes interdisciplinary work across the university and with partners around the globe,” said Natasha Slesnick, associate dean for the college’s Office of Research, Innovation and Collaboration. “This project will benefit graduates’ entry into the workforce to help develop a diverse, globally competitive workforce to meet our nation’s critical need for clean-tech battery manufacturing.”   

Preparing students to enter the advanced battery manufacturing field 

BATTERI is designed to provide unique career training and hands-on learning activities that immerse participants in clean-tech manufacturing. 

Students will grow their skills, knowledge and professional networks by choosing one of two complementary routes: 

• Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset through market analysis, value proposition development and more 
• Immersing in lab work on real projects while receiving technical workforce training tailored to battery and electric vehicle manufacturing needs 

Lab activities will take place at the institute’s new 22,000-square foot Battery Center and Energy Innovation Lab in the West Campus area called Carmenton, set to open in 2025.  

Entrepreneurship activities will be conducted with the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship in the university’s Fisher College of Business. 

In these spaces, students will apply new techniques to research challenges, present findings to industry stakeholders and refine their projects based on feedback. They will be offered summer research internships, provided with mentoring, presentation and networking opportunities and taught interdisciplinary concepts.  

Students will receive intensive coaching throughout the program to optimize their experience. 

The program will foster partnerships between academia and industry, as well as engage students in real-world challenges and market assessments. The goal is for graduates to navigate a seamless transition from learning to practical application. 

How the evaluation will be conducted: Mayhew’s role 

Mayhew will lead all internal aspects of the evaluation in collaboration with the grant project manager. Together, they will facilitate activities that engage students in experiential learning, intensive coaching and collaboration. Robust data collection about the program will result.  

Mayhew will advise PhD student Anisha Gill-Morris, who will execute the logistics of the evaluation plan. She will take rigorous coursework in evaluation and assessment to add value to the results. She will ensure that the programmatic elements are pedagogically appropriate and executed responsibly.  

“Providing graduate students in higher education with the research opportunities needed to become effective evaluators is critical," Mayhew said, "especially given increasing public scrutiny over the value and purpose of pursuing graduate degrees in educational studies. If anyone — in any industry sector — needs competent evaluation, look no further than HESA at Ohio State!”

Mayhew explained that they will use a combination of evaluation processes and assessment tools to investigate the extent to which the BATTERI program is helping students’ achieve the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to enter the battery manufacturing workforce.

“We also will elicit feedback from the internship mentors to evaluate how students communicate effectively about BATTERI-related content,” he said.

The evaluation questions will examine to what extent the BATTERI program: 

• creates supportive and inclusive learning environments for all participants and influences their career attitudes, innovation capacity and integration of learning, particularly for those representing underserved racial and gender groups and adult learners 
• adequately trains, reskills and upskills participants through experiential learning opportunities and industry partnerships 
• adequately trains participants in advanced battery manufacturing skills to meet future workforce needs

The evaluation will engage the program’s external advisory board that is a subset of the external partners. They will provide strategic leadership and feedback to ensure the participation of our partners in all phases of program development and execution.

These advisors were key in developing the structure of the program, and their insights will be sought as the program is continually improved.

Additional collaborators on the core BATTERI team are the Glenn College for Public Policy, the university’s Sustainability Institute and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering.

The Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research is located within the university’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge.