Five graduate researchers from The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering at UC Santa Barbara competed in the preliminary round of the 2026 Grad Slam, the university’s annual competition focused on research communication. Blending storytelling with scientific insight, participants distilled years of work into concise and engaging presentations, covering topics ranging from artificial intelligence and advanced materials to computing and robotics. 

After deliberation, judges awarded first place to Jordan Bream, a first-year materials PhD student, whose research addresses a largely overlooked but critical issue: the aging infrastructure behind the U.S. energy grid. The runner-up spot went to Parker Carlson, a third-year computer science PhD candidate, who presented on accelerating search in the AI era, describing his work as “developing a search engine that’s built like a bus but drives like a Ferrari."

Bream, who admitted that she entered the competition primarily for the experience, said one of the biggest challenges was making complex research accessible and engaging. “When I started writing about my research, I was struggling,” Bream said. “How do you make energy grid systems fun and exciting?” 

Her breakthrough came from a striking realization: much of the U.S. energy grid still relies on technology from the 1960s. 

“If eleven states somehow lost power, our entire system could shut down because of this technology,” Bream explained. That insight became the foundation of her talk, linking everyday electricity use to the urgent need for improved energy storage solutions.

Condensing her research into just three minutes required significant revision. Her initial draft exceeded ten minutes, forcing her to refine her message into a more clear and compelling narrative. 

Advised by Jeff Sakamoto, a mechanical engineering and materials professor, Bream studies NASICON (Sodium Super Ionic Conductor), a solid-state electrolyte used in batteries. Unlike the flammable liquid electrolytes common in lithium-ion batteries, NASICON offers a safer and more sustainable alternative. Her research explores replacing liquid components with solid materials better suited for large-scale energy storage.

The sustainability implications of her work are significant. Current battery technologies rely heavily on lithium, which is costly and resource-intensive to extract. “Mining lithium is unsustainable,” Bream said. “We use fracking and evaporation methods that take a huge amount of water and electricity.”

Sodium, by contrast, is inexpensive and abundantly available — including in North America.  “It has similar — if not sometimes better properties than lithium-ion batteries,” Bream said. “It’s a no-brainer that we should invest in this promising alternative.”

Bream’s long-term goal is to optimize and scale the material for real-world applications. “Right now, we make pellets in the lab that are no more than about 10 millimeters. Eventually, we want to be able to build systems that could be 10 feet or even 10 meters wide for grid-scale storage,” she said.

With her talk revised following feedback from the judges, Bream will compete in the UCSB Grad Slam Finals on April 9. The winner will advance to the UC systemwide Grad Slam Finals on April 22 in Sacramento.