Brimbank resident Yemima Ehrnst has been nominated for the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards (YAA) for her work furthering investigations in green energy.
As part of her post-doctoral research at RMIT University, Ms Ehrnst’s research explores green energy reactions in the unique field of acousto-electrochemistry.
The research has the potential to significantly advance renewable energy solutions.
“I was looking into how I can manipulate electrochemical reactions with acoustics … chemical reactions with sound waves,” Ms Ehrnst said.
“We’re just seeing how that external stimuli, that extra energy, is changing the reaction.”
The research methods, which Ms Ehrnst describes as “novel” and “out-of-the-box”, focus on water-splitting to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
Ms Ehrnst’s innovative research methods have resulted in her being named inventor on two patents.
Her academic papers, written in collaboration with colleagues, have been recognised internationally in scientific journals with her work also helping to secure significant research grants for the team.
Ms Ehrnst said she is driven by curiosity and that she enjoys the academic side of her research as well as the more physical elements that involve hands-on engineering.
According to Ms Ehrnst, climate change, mainly driven by fossil fuel–based energy, continues to pose one of the greatest environmental threats globally.
“It’s a very energy conscious perspective that we need to have now,” she said.
“There’s a lot of processes out there at the moment that could be a lot greener if they’re done in a different way”.
The 7NEWS YAA winners will be announced on 1 May.
