Brainerd High School students learn about battery chemistry

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – You might call this high school course shocking. Brainerd High School students learned the safety and potential risks behind battery chemistry. 

“We partnered with UTC as well as Underwriters Laboratories to bring this experience to students and students got to design, build and test their own battery safety enclosure,” said Brainerd chemistry teacher Ethan Schubert. 

As a part of this project, students learned the safety hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries. 

Schubert believes it is important to expose students to what these batteries can do in real life.

 “A current phenomenon that is being researched that is being worked on, that is being learned about by career professionals, and to show them that there is an opportunity to take what you are learning about here in this class and do that in the real world,” said Schubert. 

Brainerd students have been learning about battery chemistry since January. 

12th grader Adrian Para considers battery chemistry a fun and challenging experience. 

“Before this, I had no idea how to make any reactions coming with batteries or anything,” Para said. “Now I can ask questions about what chemicals to use and what causes the best reactions to make a battery. I actually know what I am doing. I actually know what people are talking about when it comes to all this.” 

And since completing this project, Para hopes to become an electrician. 

“I feel more confident going into electrical work since I know more about electricity, and just in general, like what causes it and what makes it do things that should not.  This has basically helped me understand more and what I basically can do,” Para stated.