ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2019
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In the three months the application was open in 2019, over 7,000 young leaders applied to join the Class of 2019 on 1,209 campuses across 135 nations. 69 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 805 Millennium Fellows.
During the Millennium Fellowship, Millennium Fellows' dedicated 96,705 hours and their 422 unique projects positively impacted the lives of 564,366 people worldwide.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT SOFIA CATALINA, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2019.
Northeastern University | Massachusetts, United States | Advancing SDG 7 & UNAI 9
" I am so honored to be a 2019 Millennium Fellow and join a group of such passionate, motivated people. As a Millennium Fellow, I will delve into the interconnectedness of global problems, allowing me to apply my technical and personal interests to a broader dialogue. I am excited to contribute and learn from other student leaders passionate about making the world a better, more sustainable place. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Hydrodynamic Properties of Ionic Liquids for Flow Batteries
Energy storage remains a key issue in integrating renewable energy sources with the electric grid. Due to their intermittent nature, long-term, large-scale energy storage is needed to ensure grid stability, integrity, and dependability. Current battery technology cannot meet the cost and functionality targets necessary for this level of storage, but new chemistries and architectures are being developed to change this. The flow battery is one such new technology, decoupling battery power and energy and integrating low-cost chemistry to revolutionize the battery industry. Most flow battery technology relies on an aqueous chemistry, but as a part of Northeastern’s Complex Electrochemical Systems Laboratory, I am working alongside a team to investigate a non-aqueous quinone ionic liquid flow battery that has the potential to greatly increase the energy density of the liquid electrolyte while decreasing cost.
About the Millennium Fellow
Sofia Catalina is a senior at Northeastern University studying Chemical Engineering with a minor in Sustainable Business Practices. Raised in central Massachusetts, she grew up with an appreciation and love for the natural world, which she hopes to develop into a career enabling renewables through energy storage. At Northeastern, she has broadened her knowledge and interest in electrochemistry, especially through internships at Nuvera Fuel Cells, Form Energy, Tesla and research on-campus in Northeastern's Complex Electrochemical Systems Laboratory. Outside of the lab, Sofia is President of the Northeastern Society of Women Engineers and loves traveling and escaping Boston to hike and kayak.
