IEEE AESS BracU Student Branch Chapter is excited to report that our first webinar of this year, titled “Designing an Electric Battery Charging/Discharging Mechanism for Screening System”, was hosted on the 22nd of February, 2024. An impressive number of participants joined the webinar from various universities, national and international, and from diverse academic backgrounds. IEEE AESS BracU SBC was honored to have Dr. Juan J. Rojas, Associate Professor at Tecnológico de Costa Rica, as the speaker. Dr. Rojas has been working with satellite technology and small-scale power systems and has made significant contributions to both of these fields. 

In this enlightening webinar, our guest, Dr. Rojas, explained the fundamentals of batteries, qualification testing, environmental factors, cell screening, and safety precautions. He discussed the dangers of overcharging and the necessity of robust testing procedures, emphasizing the significance of controlling battery levels. He went on to highlight innovative methods, including programmable electric loads and vibration testing on shaking tables. Then, he discussed how a lithium-ion battery is much more efficient for usage and why overcharging batteries has high-risk quantities. Simplifying processes with custom chargers and logic modifications was covered, with a focus on charging and discharging configurations. Finally, the webinar ended with a Q&A session, where the participants asked various intriguing questions to Dr. Rojas, who in turn provided the attendees with insightful and informative answers.

It was a pleasure to have faculty members from Brac University’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in attendance as well. These esteemed individuals include Ms. Raihana Shams Islam Antara (Lecturer and IEEE BracU ComSoc SBC Advisor), Associate Professor Dr. Mohammed Belal Hossain Bhuian, Lecturer Mr. Md Mahmudul Islam, and our very own chapter Advisor and Lecturer, Mr. Abdulla Hil Kafi.

IEEE BracU AESS SBC is sincerely grateful to everyone who joined this online seminar, and we hope that it was an interesting and edifying experience for all. Please stay tuned for many more fascinating seminars and other events ahead!