Sossina M. Haile | |
|---|---|
ሶስና ሃይሌ | |
| Born | (1966-07-28)July 28, 1966 (age 58) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, PhD),University of California, Berkeley (MS) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Energy Materials |
| Institutions | Professor ofMaterials Science and ofChemical Engineering atNorthwestern University |
| Thesis | Synthesis, crystal structure and ionic conductivity of some alkali rare earth silicates (1992) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bernhardt J. Wuensch |
| Website | http://addis.ms.northwestern.edu/ |
Sossina M. Haile (Ge'ez:ሶስና ሃይሌ, born July 28, 1966) is an Ethiopian-American chemist, known for developing the firstsolid acid fuel cells.[1] She is a professor ofmaterials science and engineering atNorthwestern University, Illinois, US.[2]
Haile received theNational Science Foundation National Young Investigator Award (1994–99), Humboldt Fellowship (1992–93),Fulbright Fellowship (1991–92), and AT&T Cooperative Research Fellowship (1986–92). The Humboldt and Fulbright fellowships supported her research at theMax Planck Institut für Festkörperforschung [Institute for Solid State Research],Stuttgart,Germany (1991–1993). She earned the 2001 J.B. Wagner Award of the High Temperature Materials Division of the Electrochemical Society, the 2000 Coble Award from theAmerican Ceramic Society, and the 1997 TMS Robert Lansing Hardy Award.[3] In 2010, Haile was invited to give an "Outstanding Women in Science" Lecture atIndiana University.[4] In 2018, Haile was elected a Fellow of theMaterials Research Society.[5] Haile also received the 2021 MRS Communications Lecture Award.[6]
Haile was born inAddis Ababa, Ethiopia[7] in 1966. Her family fledEthiopia during thecoup in the mid-'70s, after soldiers arrested and nearly killed her historian fatherGetatchew Haile who at the time was a member of the transitional Ethiopian parliament. Around age 10,[7] the family settled in rural Minnesota where Haile attended Saint John's Preparatory School (Collegeville, MN), graduating in 1983.
She received herBachelor of Science andPhD from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology. She also has aMaster of Science from theUniversity of California, Berkeley. Advised by Bernhardt J. Wuensch, her PhD thesis is entitled "Synthesis, crystal structure and ionic conductivity of some alkali rare earth silicates."[8]
Haile spent three years as an assistant professor at theUniversity of Washington,Seattle. She joined theCaltech faculty in 1996, where she worked for 18 years before moving toNorthwestern University in 2015. At Northwestern, Haile is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and a Professor ofApplied Physics.[9]
Haile's research centers on ionic conduction in solids. Her objectives are to understand the mechanisms that governion transport and to apply that understanding to the development of advanced solid electrolytes and novel solid-state electrochemical devices. Applications of fast ion conductors includebatteries,sensors,ion pumps, andfuel cells. The latter is her particular concern.
Her group is investigating proton-conducting solid acid compounds, proton-conductingperovskites, mixed oxygen- and electron-conducting perovskites, oxygen-conducting oxides, andalkali-conductingsilicates. The group's standard technique for the characterization of electrical properties is A.C.impedance spectroscopy. Ionic conductivity is closely tied to the crystal structure of and structural transitions in the conducting solid. Crystal growth, structure determination byX-ray andneutron diffraction, andthermal analysis are also important aspects of Dr. Haile's research.
The group showed for example, that a broad range of proton containing solids undergo amonoclinic to cubic transition that is accompanied by an increase in conductivity of several orders of magnitude. In another example, her group demonstrated that Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−d has exceptional activity as a cathode forceria-basedsolid oxide fuel cells.
Haile's work insolid state ionics is supported by theNational Science Foundation (NSF), theArmy Research Office, and theDepartment of Energy. In the past, support has also been provided by theDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), theOffice of Naval Research, theCalifornia Energy Commission, the Powell Foundation, and the Kirsch Foundation. Industrial support has been provided byGeneral Motors, EPRI (formerlyElectric Power Research Institute), HRL (formerly Hughes Research Labs), andHoneywell (formerlyAllied Signal and nowGeneral Electric).
Haile's research includes the investigation of structure-property relations inthermoelectric materials, in collaboration with colleagues at theJet Propulsion Laboratory and ferroelectric materials as part of a multidisciplinary program at Caltech dedicated to the computational prediction/optimization of material and device behavior. The project was supported by NSF and theArmy Research Office through the Caltech Center for the Science and Engineering of Materials.
Device development plays an increasingly important role in her research. Micropower generators, based on solid oxide fuel cells are particularly attractive for portable power and were the subject of aDARPA project. Similarly, microactuators and micropumps based on ferroelectric thin films hold promise for advancingMicroelectromechanical systems technology and development efforts are sponsored by an ARO MURI program. Both programs are highly interdisciplinary.
Haile is the subject of an Amharic novel titledያልተወለደው ሌባ (Yalitewledew leba) (translated from Amharic asThe Unborn Thief), a science fiction novel by Dr. Behailu Demeke.
The narrative unfolds in a small Ethiopian town where the protagonist, Minas, resides. He becomes intrigued by an elderly man named Bisrat, who often sits alone on large rocks. Driven by curiosity about the man’s solitude and thoughts, Minas befriends him and gradually learns about his past.
Bisrat originally hails fromGojam and has a grandfather, Like Hiruyan, a learned figure inEthiopian Orthodox traditions and reputed to haveoccult knowledge. As a student, Bisrat was notoriously lazy. One night, his grandfather took him to a river feeding into theNile, where he performed a powerful ritual intended to boost Bisrat’s intellect. Miraculously, this ritual transforms Bisrat into one of the top students in his school. However, during his final years, he falls in love with a girl, and after they have an intimate encounter, she becomes pregnant. This event leads to the loss of the exceptional intelligence his grandfather had cautioned him to safeguard.
After hearing Bisrat’s remarkable tale, Minas resumes his life, enrolling inJima University to pursue amedical degree. Seven years later, he faces a qualification exam but unfortunately fails. Disheartened, he seeks to emigrate through a scholarship. During this period, he participates in a race organized by theAmerican Embassy in Ethiopia, where he finishes fourth, earning a trip to visitNASA.
But, Minas soon realized that his visit was not just a tour; the American scientists intended to conduct a test travel with the newly built time machine and it was a planed plot by Americans to use other country citizens in the test program. Alongside him, nine other test travelers from developing nations are assembled, overseen by three masked professors. As they enter the machine, the Captain, who keeps a close watch on Minas, instills fear in him, especially after a fellow traveler is killed for disobedience. The Captain eventually places a special mask on Minas, and the time travel begins, but only the Captain and Minas emerge alive.
Later, Minas receives a message from the Captain, stating she will meet him in his hotel room. To his surprise, she is Sosina Haile, an Ethiopian professor who saved him due to their shared heritage. They share a profound conversation before she leaves, prompting Minas to affectionately call her “Hiwot,” meaning "life" in Amharic. The narrative progresses under this name. While on board, traveling back to Ethiopia, Minas uncovers a suspicious connection between Hiwot and the old man, suggesting that Hiwot may be Bisrat’s child and the unborn thief who robbed him of his power.
The novel delves into the themes oftime travel, the life experiences of Professor Sosina Haile, Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address, and the envisioned future of Ethiopia as seen through the time machine.
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