News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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May8
EVENT DETAILS
lessHarnessing the innate immune system to Pheast on cancer
Our overarching research objective is to understand and manipulate the molecular mechanisms that govern macrophage function in health and disease, with an emphasis on translating laboratory discoveries into novel immunotherapies for cancer. Cancer cells are capable of evading clearance by macrophages through the overexpression of anti-phagocytic, innate immune checkpoint molecules called ‘don’t eat me’ signals, including CD47, PD-L1, and MHC class I. Monoclonal antibodies that antagonize the interaction of ‘don’t eat me’ signals with their macrophage-expressed receptors have demonstrated therapeutic potential in cancer. However, variability in the magnitude and durability of the responses to these agents has suggested the presence of additional, as yet unknown innate immune checkpoints. We have developed a functional screening platform which identifies tumor-specific regulators of intratumoral macrophage function.
Amira Barkal, MD, PhD, is the Principal Founder and Chief Development Officer at Pheast Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology company founded in 2020 with origins in Irv Weissman's lab at Stanford University. Dr. Barkal received her MD and PhD through the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stanford University School of Medicine in 2021. She completed her doctoral thesis in the laboratory of Professor Irving Weissman, where she studied mechanisms of macrophage tumor immunosurveillance and led the discovery that CD24 is a novel innate immune checkpoint in cancer. She is a leader in the field of innate immunity in cancer and conducts research aimed at understanding the regulators of intratumoral macrophage function. Dr. Barkal completed her residency in internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in 2023. She also holds a position as Hematology/Oncology fellow at the University of California-San Francisco. She is a recipient of the Harold M. Weintraub Award for Excellence in Biological Sciences and has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare, In Vivo Rising Leaders in Healthcare, and the Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence.
TIME Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Will Chaussee william.chaussee@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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May8
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessThe Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts is a collaboration between the Art Institute of Chicago and materials science-related departments at Northwestern University to pursue objects-based and objects-inspired scientific research. Materials research benefits ongoing work in conservation, archaeology, art history, and curatorial scholarship.
Learn how the Center uses materials research to care for art objects in sustainable, innovative ways with Maria Kokkori, Senior Scientist in the Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts. She will be in conversation with Corey Byrnes, Northwestern Associate Professor of Chinese Culture and co-founder/co-director of the Environmental Humanities Workshop in Kaplan Humanities Center.
This event is presented by the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science in conjunction with exhibition Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology.
TIME Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
LOCATION Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh map it
CONTACT Block Museum of Art block-museum@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Block Museum of Art
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May16
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present the 35th Annual Hugh M. Hulburt Lecture with Chau-Chyun Chen from Texas Tech University as part of our Spring 2024 ChBE Seminar Series.
Dr. Chau-Chyun Chen will present a lecture titled "Adsorption Thermodynamics for Process Simulation."
ABSTRACT: Adsorptive separation offers an energy efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional thermal separation. Recent development of tailored adsorbents for selective separation of molecules has heightened interest in adsorption applications such as air separation, trace elements and heavy metals removal, CO2 capture, direct air capture, hydrocarbons processing, aqueous organic chemicals separation, among others. However, the lack of rigorous adsorption thermodynamic models for multicomponent adsorption equilibria has hampered industrial applications of adsorption technology for decades, and practitioners remain heavily relying on expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error pilot studies to develop adsorption units. Successful process simulation and development of all separation processes, adsorption included, must be built on rigorous thermodynamic models that accurately correlate and predict thermodynamic properties and phase behaviors for concerned chemical mixtures. This presentation highlights the limits and deficiencies of commonly practiced adsorption thermodynamic models such as extended Langmuir, dual-process Langmuir, and adsorbed solution theory for mixed-gas adsorption equilibria. It further presents a thermodynamically rigorous generalization of the classical Langmuir isotherm by substituting concentrations with activities, incorporating an activity coefficient model for the adsorbed phase that explicitly counts for both adsorbent-adsorbate interactions and adsorbate-adsorbate interactions, extending for multicomponent competitive adsorption, and further extending for multicomponent multilayer adsorption. Requiring a minimum set of physically meaningful model parameters, the generalized Langmuir isotherm for multicomponent monolayer adsorption and the generalized Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm for multicomponent multilayer adsorption successfully address various adsorption thermodynamic modeling challenges including adsorbent surface heterogeneity, isosteric heats of adsorption, adsorption azeotrope formation, and multilayer formulation. For the first time since the advent of Langmuir isotherm, a rigorous and comprehensive adsorption thermodynamic model for multicomponent adsorption equilibria has been formulated to support process simulation of adsorptive separation.
Dr. Chau-Chyun Chen is a Horn Distinguished professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Jack Maddox Distinguished Chair in Sustainable Energy at the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, Texas Tech University. A co-founder of Aspen Technology, Inc., he is the inventor of the industry-leading process simulation software for electrolyte solutions, polymerization processes, small molecule drug solubility, CO2 capture with chemical absorption, and molecular characterization for petroleum assays. His current research focuses on molecular thermodynamics and process simulation for adsorptive and membrane-based separations, high salinity produced waters, energetic materials, and CO2 capture. He holds over 160 peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters, and 20 US and international patents.
Dr. Chen received BS degree in chemistry from National Taiwan University and MS and ScD degrees in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a fellow of American Institute of Chemical Engineers and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the US National Academy of Engineering.
About Hugh M. Hulburt
A talented administrator and teacher, Hugh M. Hulburt (1917–1987) dedicated his professional career to practicing chemistry and promoting the chemical engineering profession. After receiving his PhD in 1942, he worked in various industry positions, becoming director of research and development at the Chemical Construction Corporation and later director of chemical engineering and of physical research at American Cyanamid Company.After joining Northwestern in 1964, Hulburt served as chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 1965 to 1971, associate dean of the Graduate School from 1975 to 1980, and associate dean of the Technological Institute from 1980 to 1983. He chaired the committee to establish the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and fostered closer ties between industry and the University and between science and engineering.
Hulburt was editor of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Process Design and Development from its inception in 1962 until 1986, during which time it became a highly respected journal. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data and on the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Panel for Engineering Chemistry and Energetics. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and was its Institute Lecturer in 1962.The Hugh M. Hulburt Memorial Lecture brings to campus leaders in chemical engineering research and management to lecture and interact with students and faculty, and it fosters collaboration between industry & academia in the education of future chemical engineers.
A department luncheon will follow the lecture at 12:00pm on the Tech East Patio/courtyard.
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM
LOCATION LR4 (M113), Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Jennifer Young jennifer.young@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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May23
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present the annual ARDEI Lecture with speaker Christine Reyna from DePaul University.
Dr. Christine Reyna will present a seminar titled "Restructuring the STEM Pipeline: Dismantling Stereotypes and Microaggressions in STEM to Build Networks of Belonging and Support."
ABSTRACT: STEM training is the best pathway for career success in the U.S.A.. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024), the fastest growing and most lucrative careers are all in STEM. However, Black and Latine Americans are disproportionately excluded from many of these opportunities and remain underrepresented in STEM fields. This disparity starts in grade school when natural curiosity about science fades in the face of barriers to learning and belonging. This presentation will examine how science beliefs, coupled with racial and gender stereotypes and microaggressions in STEM settings, can communicate subtle messages about attributions and belonging for students of color. These messages can widen the gap between personal and science identity to make thriving in STEM environments challenging and even hostile for students of color. Finally, structural supports, policies, and best practices will be presented to enable educators to create inclusive STEM experiences and environments focused on empowerment, belonging, and retention.
Christine Reyna received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from UCLA. She is currently a Professor of Psychology at DePaul University in Chicago where she has a joint faculty appointment in both the Psychological Science and Community Psychology PhD Programs. She is the founder of the Social and Intergroup Perceptions (SIP) Lab, a group of diverse scholars interested in the psychology of identity, status, prejudice, intergroup conflict, and oppression. Her research examines how individuals and groups leverage group identity, stereotypes, values, and moral framing to legitimize discrimination, systems of oppression, and ideological extremism. As a Latina scholar, she is also committed to including the voices and experiences of marginalized populations in her research and theorizing, and takes a multicultural, multidisciplinary approach to her research. In her private life, she loves adventure sports, wandering the wilderness, Halloween, and Harry Potter. She is married with two children and never passes up an opportunity to indulge her own inner child.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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May30
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present student seminars by Ruihan Li and Kunhuan Liu as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
More details to come.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Jun10
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessMcCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master’s Degree Recognition Ceremony
TIME Monday, June 10, 2024 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena
CONTACT Amy Pokrass amy.pokrass@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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Jun10
TIME Monday, June 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena
CONTACT Amy Pokrass amy.pokrass@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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Aug14
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessInnovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.
This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.
Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.
Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.
TIME Wednesday, August 14, 2024
LOCATION Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center map it
CONTACT Dongyang Li lidongyang@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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Aug15
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessInnovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.
This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.
Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.
Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.
TIME Thursday, August 15, 2024
LOCATION Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center map it
CONTACT Dongyang Li lidongyang@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science