On a bright and bustling day in the heart of Newcastle, families, children, and curious minds from across the North East gathered for Discover Fest — a vibrant one-day celebration of ideas, creativity, and hands-on science. Among the colourful stalls and joyful energy, a curious question brewed at one corner of the festival: “Can coffee power your electronics too?”

As part of her Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, Dr. Kezia Sasitharan’s research focuses on sustainable materials for energy storage and she brought this work to life through a fun, family-friendly outreach activity titled SUPERCAP-uccino.

What is SUPERCAP-uccino?

SUPERCAP-uccino is an interactive science outreach session that takes a surprisingly familiar material – waste coffee grounds – and turns it into something extraordinary: a working supercapacitor. The activity invites participants of all ages to explore how chemistry can transform everyday waste into energy storage devices that could one day help power electronics.

Using humour, accessible visuals, and real lab techniques simplified for a public audience, Kezia walked participants through the science behind carbon materials, porosity, and electrochemistry: the same concepts she uses in her own research.

At the Discover Fest

isitors had the chance to get hands-on with mini activity kits that showed the journey of coffee waste from mug to material. Children and parents were amazed to see how coffee could be used to make activated carbon, and even more so when they used it to help assemble a supercapacitor that could power a small LED.

One of the highlights was a live demo of a DIY Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) — a tool used in nanotechnology to look at materials down to billionths of a metre. For many, it was the first time they had ever heard of this cutting-edge technique, and it gave them a real glimpse into how researchers study the invisible world of nanomaterials. The AFM was loaned by The Royce Institute as Kezia was part of a team that put together an outreach AFM earlier in the year at The University of Manchester.

Why does it matter?

SUPERCAP-uccino isn’t just about coffee or capacitors. It’s about making science visible, tangible, and fun. It connects real research with real lives, showing people that chemistry is not only in labs and textbooks but in the things we throw away, the energy we use, and the choices we make every day.

By engaging people of all ages in sustainability and climate-relevant science, this event aimed to raise awareness, inspire young scientists, and spark new conversations about the future of energy and the role of chemistry in shaping it.

Next steps

This was just the beginning for SUPERCAP-uccino. With exciting plans to take the activity into schools across underserved communities in the North East, Kezia hopes to reach even more young people with this creative and meaningful approach to chemistry outreach.

Because yes, your morning cup of coffee might just help power the future.