Battelle Celebrates 95-Year History

A lot happens in 95 years.

As the world has changed and developed, Battelle has worked hard to put our founder’s vision into action: Using science for the benefit of society. As a nonprofit philanthropic trust and one of America’s original research and development organizations, Battelle scientists and engineers have made many breakthroughs in our nearly century-long existence. And we will continue to do so in the future, both with research and development as well as our full commitment to supporting Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics, or STEM, education.

We’ve updated the website that illustrates our history. First introduced to celebrate our 90th anniversary, the website allows visitors to explore Battelle’s rich history starting with the Foundational Age—the story of Gordon Battelle and the part of his Will that changed the future. The section chronicles Battelle’s early years of metallurgical research and how technology developed as we hit the Industrial Atomic Age.

World War II brought many changes to the world, and Battelle answered the country’s call for nuclear research. Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, Battelle Solvers developed important new machines that changed the way America does business. The Space Age in the 1970s and ‘80s was defined by rapid advances in technology and Battelle had significant contributions to electronics, coatings and many other energy advancements.

The website also informs visitors about the Biotech age and Battelle’s contributions to biotechnology and vaccines in the years around the turn of the century. Protecting our planet has marked Battelle’s current era of existence, leading research in biodefense, cyber, ecology and more.

New sections of the entertaining website feature recent accomplishments by Battelle Solvers. Our research into brain-computer interface technologies is highlighted, especially as they interface with artificial intelligence.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Battelle launched several initiatives to protect our country’s essential workers. In March, 2020, we partnered with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to develop a rapid, sensitive diagnostic test to allow for faster turnaround time on COVID-19 test results. Details on this and more can be found in the new section of our historical website, including our research for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) to produce science-based guidelines for handling materials to reduce COVID-19 exposure.

We’ve worked to bring our research to the field as well. The website informs visitors about our spinoff AmplifyBio, a company focused on research and development of next-generation therapies for challenging diseases and disorders. You’ll also learn about Revive Environmental, another Battelle spinoff that takes our PFAS Annihilator®​ and GAC Renew™​ inventions to the nation for “forever chemicals” contaminant mitigation.

Other breakthroughs in the fight against per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are detailed.

In our updated timeline, visitors will learn about our Innovations in Climate Resilience conference, now scheduled for its fifth year. We envision a better, more sustainable future and we’ve created an event where public and private sector experts work together to invest in science-based solutions to mitigate carbon emissions, restore ecosystems, protect against natural disasters and health threats, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and food systems.

We’ve also been working with the United States federal government and other organizations to develop large-scale infrastructure to help in the fight against climate change. We’re the prime contractor for two important projects, the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, or ARCH2, and Project Cypress, for the Department of Energy as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

We’re working on a clean hydrogen hub in the Appalachian region of the country to meet government and industry objectives. And in Louisiana, Battelle and leading clean technology developers Climeworks and Heirloom are collaborating on a Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs program, Project Cypress, to advance the commercialization of Direct Air Capture and Storage, an innovative technology powered by renewable energy that will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, store it safely underground, and generate jobs in Louisiana to further the nation’s climate goals.

Visitors will learn more about this and other fascinating technological advancements we’ve made. Join us in celebrating our 95th anniversary as we look forward to many more decades of supporting our nation and the world with independent, trustworthy science.