Did you know the number on your phone that tells you the percentage of your battery is just an estimate? ARCS Colorado Scholar Kaylie Maddux shared this fact when interviewed about her research on lithium-ion batteries.

Maddux was always interested in math, science, and physics, which led her to study Electrical Engineering. She’s on an accelerated master’s program track at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) to complete her undergraduate and master’s degrees a year quicker.

“I thought it seemed very efficient to complete the master’s degree simultaneously with a bachelor’s degree,” Maddux explains. “The hardest part was when I was an undergraduate taking undergraduate and graduate classes and researching. The balance was the hardest part.”

While managing both degrees is challenging, she’s grateful for the experience. “By the time I finished my bachelor’s degree, it felt like I had more time because I was used to a busier schedule and heavier workload. The accelerated program forced me to grow quickly,” she says.

Maddux chose electrical engineering as a major because she was interested in challenging herself with more complex math and was fascinated with the physics behind electricity. Within engineering, she focuses on control theory and combines it with her research on lithium-ion batteries.

Control theory is a broad, multi-disciplinary field that can be applied to any system. “It studies how to model systems as well as how to control them,” she explains. She uses control theory to model different scenarios for her lithium-ion battery research.

The models are based on mimicking different cell behaviors. Some models are based on known physics-based properties occurring within the cell, and others are empirical, using circuit elements to model cell behavior. The first part of modeling is to ensure the model is accurate and mimics the behavior of the system. The second part uses control theory. “Control theory is trying to ensure that the input we give to a system creates a desired output,” she shares.

When asked about the future of lithium batteries as they’re being used in more devices, Maddux confesses that she doesn’t yet know how the technology will grow. “From childhood to now, technology’s already done leaps and bounds,” she says. “We will continue to make those developments.”

One application they’re working on is researching how fast a lithium battery can charge. Maddux explains, “We’re using a special kind of control called Model Predictive Control to calculate this optimal current into the cell that will help us maintain all the constraints and see how fast we can reach that charge.”

Another research project she’s working on has a future application. It is called ASPIRE (Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification), a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project that aims to develop the infrastructure to electrify roadways.

This would reduce the need to stop at a charging station if a driver simply could get in a specialized lane on the highway. “They want you to be able to drive along the highway and charge your car,” she shares. “We’re part of the modeling process.”

On top of the financial benefit of being an ARCS Scholar Award recipient, Maddux is grateful for the support of women in STEM. “Being a woman in STEM is a unique endeavor,” she says, “and being able to talk to other women in my chapter and hear their stories is always helpful to not feel alone as a woman in STEM.”