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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240206T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240206T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
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SUMMARY:ChemE Department Town Hall
DESCRIPTION:Join Chair and Professor Rebecca Willits of the Chemical Engineering Department as she provides updates and information about classes and the Department of Chemical Engineering.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/cheme-department-town-hall/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240207T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240207T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
CREATED:20240130T000149Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240130T000149Z
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SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Benjamin Decardi-Nelson
DESCRIPTION:Optimal Control as a Catalyst for Smart and Sustainable Systems \nSustainability is crucial in modern engineering\, particularly in chemical and biological systems. It involves the use of sustainable resources and the development of environmentally friendly\, smart\, and efficient systems that minimize waste and optimize resource use. Central to engineering smart\, sustainable systems is optimal control. However\, integrating optimal control technologies into these systems is challenging due to the complexity of managing large-scale\, constrained\, nonlinear\, and interconnected subsystems\, particularly under uncertain conditions. In this talk\, I will introduce a series of optimal control technologies that contribute to smarter and more efficient systems\, enhancing their sustainability. Specifically\, I will discuss the development and application of (1) model predictive control and (2) reinforcement learning\, which are instrumental in engineering systems that use minimal resources and generate less waste. I will also demonstrate how optimal control is pivotal in advancing sustainable food production in urban areas through the integration of renewable energy and efficient resource management. These advances in optimal control are critical in developing smart\, sustainable systems and are essential for a sustainable future. \n\nBenjamin Decardi-Nelson is an Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellow in Systems Engineering at Cornell University. Benjamin’s research interest in Process Systems Engineering centers around developing novel computational tools to improve the analysis\, design and control of complex processes and systems\, with the overarching goal of sustainability. Prior to joining Cornell\, he earned his PhD in Process Control from the University of Alberta\, where he developed efficient algorithms and large-scale optimization models for integrated real-time economic optimization and advanced process control of nonlinear process systems. At Cornell\, Benjamin integrates biology-informed AI with optimization to decarbonize future food systems through implicit learning of plant-environment interactions\, and renewable energy integration. His work has been recognized by the Schmidt AI in Science postdoctoral fellowship\, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) postdoctoral fellowship\, among others.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-benjamin-decardi-nelson/
LOCATION:103 Churchill\, 103 Churchill Hall\, 360 Huntington Ave\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
GEO:42.3387735;-71.0889235
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240209T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240209T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
CREATED:20240206T015600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240206T015600Z
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SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Leslie Shor
DESCRIPTION:The “Root” of the Nexus: Soil-Based Biotechnology for a Sustainable Future \nThe function of any biological system depends on local environmental conditions. For bacterial systems\, micro-scale structures including the chemical properties and physical topography of surfaces\, micro-scale chemical gradients\, and patterns of biological distribution impact the diversity\, abundance\, and activity of microbial communities. However\, conventional microbial culture systems do not faithfully emulate microbial habitats; thus\, also cannot reflect realistic functionality of microbial systems. The Shor lab designs\, builds\, and operates emulated microbial habitats to better understand microbial system function. Recent applications include soil-emulating micromodels to accelerate the development of agriculture biotechnology. Emulated soil micromodels (ESMs) systematically replicate physical\, chemical\, and biological features while at the same time enabling direct\, real-time observation of biological responses. ESMs enable systematic hypothesis-driven research of rhizosphere processes and make the development of agriculture biotechnology less time-consuming\, expensive\, and difficult. Our work has shown that the microbe-extracellular matrix system in porous media can double evaporative resistance and dramatically improve system resiliency\, but this functionality is only realized in realistic pore-scale geometries. We have also used ESMs to screen microbes for sustainable agriculture applications and shown viable performance in subsequent full-scale testing. With the loom of climate change and its increasing demands on our water and food systems\, there will be rapidly-increasing demand for more productive and cost-effective sustainable agriculture technology\, including food production technology that also provides reliable and safe terrestrial carbon sequestration. This talk will illustrate how fundamental chemical engineering concepts and methods applied to soils can make important contributions towards a more sustainable future. \n\nLeslie Shor mentors an interdisciplinary team working at the intersection of chemical engineering\, microbiology\, and advanced manufacturing. The focus of her research work is developing biotechnology based on soil microbes to enhance sustainable food production.\nShe is the PI of an EFRI project on separation and elimination of microplastics from treated wastewater effluent. She is active in education\, mentoring\, and outreach initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in STEM and enhancing human welfare through high-tech innovation. Shor earned her BA in Environmental Sciences and Chemistry (double-major) from the University of Virginia\, and her PhD in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering from Rutgers University. Prior to coming to UConn\, she was a research assistant professor at Vanderbilt University. In 2018 she spent six months at the University of Adelaide in South Australia as a visiting faculty member in the School of Chemical Engineering.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-leslie-shor/
LOCATION:102 ISEC\, 360 Huntington Ave\, 102 ISEC\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
GEO:42.3377335;-71.0869121
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240214T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240214T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
CREATED:20240129T214302Z
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SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Angela Chen
DESCRIPTION:Engineering Microbial Communication for Sustainable Agriculture \nAgriculture and the global food system accounts for ~30% of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore\, developing sustainable agricultural technologies is essential for combating and mitigating the effects of climate change. Microbes like bacteria and fungi play pivotal roles in agriculture and food security through complex interactions with plant hosts\, other microorganisms\, and their surroundings. Consequently\, my research aims to investigate how these inter-species and cross-kingdom relationships could be ideal engineering targets for addressing current agricultural challenges. In this seminar\, I will present my work showcasing the power of RNA and nanotechnology in manipulating microbial interactions with the environment and plant hosts. In the first part of my talk\, I will examine how microbes respond to environmental stresses and the use of regulatory RNAs as a genetic platform to manipulate bacterial metal reduction capabilities for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles with unique and enhanced functionality. Following this\, I will then discuss host-microbe interactions and how exploiting RNA-based communication between fungal pathogens and plant hosts can inform next-generation\, nanoparticle-based strategies for plant disease control. Together\, these studies illustrate how understanding and controlling microbial communication will pave the way for new sustainable strategies for reducing agricultural chemical dependence\, improving plant health\, and enabling bioremediation technologies. \n\nAngela Chen is a USDA-NIFA AFRI Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at UC Riverside. Under Prof. Hailing Jin\, she investigates the mechanisms of cross-kingdom RNA trafficking between plants and fungal pathogens to develop nanomaterials for RNAi-based disease control. Prior to UC Riverside\, she received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the Ohio State University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow with Profs. Lydia Contreras and Benjamin Keitz\, she focused on engineering regulatory RNAs in extremophilic bacteria to control bacterial stress response for materials science applications. Outside of research\, Angela is passionate about educating and empowering the next generation of engineers\, having earned a Graduate Certification in Engineering Education. She is also the President of the Riverside Postdoctoral Association\, where she leads initiatives focused on supporting postdocs and broadening STEM access through the creation of diverse and inclusive academic environments.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-angela-chen/
LOCATION:103 Churchill\, 103 Churchill Hall\, 360 Huntington Ave\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240216T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240216T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
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SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Adam Caparco
DESCRIPTION:Protein-based materials for sustainable bioprocesses \nProtein materials\, whose function can be programmed by their amino acid sequence\, possess the potential to address many societal challenges by providing a sustainable and biocompatible alternative to many traditional materials. As an example\, the enhancement of enzymes for biocatalysis serves as a gateway for more sustainable chemical manufacturing. I will demonstrate that by designing an enzyme to fuse to a solid support material\, we can vastly improve its stability and recover the material between reactions for multiple uses. Protein materials also serve as a platform for targeted delivery in medicine and agriculture. I will show that by transforming inactivated plant viruses into spherical nanoparticles for encapsulation\, hydrophobic agrochemicals can be delivered through the soil and paralyze roundworms for pest management with high efficacy. \n\nAdam Caparco\, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California\, San Diego in the Department of NanoEngineering. His research under Prof. Nicole Steinmetz is funded by a USDA NIFA fellowship and is focused on using plant virus nanoparticles as agricultural delivery systems for pest management and genetic engineering of plants. Prior to this position\, Dr. Caparco completed his doctoral work in Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology under Profs. Julie Champion and Andreas Bommarius\, where he focused on using self-assembled protein materials for sustainable biocatalysis. During his doctoral studies\, he was awarded a STEM Chateaubriand fellowship and worked with bioinformaticians and biochemists at Genoscope in France. As an undergraduate\, Dr. Caparco studied Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California\, Los Angeles.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-adam-caparco/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240221T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240221T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
CREATED:20240206T015516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240206T015516Z
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SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Prashun Gorai
DESCRIPTION:A Journey from Atoms to Materials: Designing Functional Materials for Energy and Microelectronics \nTechnological developments often rely on specifically designed materials and molecules. The increasing pace of technology development\, coupled with rising energy needs and climate challenges\, requires faster approaches for materials discovery. Historically\, materials have been discovered by trial-and-error approaches that rely on chemical intuition. Designing materials with tailored properties is challenging because of the astronomical number of possible compounds and structures\, and materials behaviors that do not adhere to standard chemical intuition. \nComputations have made great strides in accelerating materials development\, but many challenges remain. We are addressing some of these challenges\, including inverse materials design and bridging the gap between theoretical predictions and real materials. In this talk\, I will share examples from our work on the computational discovery and design of functional materials\, as well as modeling of defect and doping properties of semiconductors. \n\nDr. Prashun Gorai is a research assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) with a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras (India)\, and his PhD\, also in Chemical Engineering\, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was a postdoctoral fellow at CSM and NREL between 2014-2017. His research team uses quantum-chemical calculations\, high-throughput computing\, and machine learning to discover and design functional materials for energy conversion and storage\, and next-generation microelectronics. The International Thermoelectric Society awarded him the Young Investigator Award in 2022 and the Royal Society of Chemistry (Materials Horizons) recognized him as an Emerging Investigator in 2020. He is a recipient of the Chemistry of Materials Lectureship and Best Paper Award 2023.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-prashun-gorai/
LOCATION:103 Churchill\, 103 Churchill Hall\, 360 Huntington Ave\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
GEO:42.3387735;-71.0889235
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240221T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240221T133000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
CREATED:20240202T163619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240214T001838Z
UID:4700-1708516800-1708522200@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:National Engineers Week: Rewrite the Code - Ignite Innovation with Inclusivity through the Power of Psychological Safety
DESCRIPTION:Fireside Chat on the Power of Psychological Safety with Award-Winning Engineer and Industry Consultant Dr. Mark McBride-Wright and Northeastern’s College of Engineering Dean Gregory Abowd. \n\nLearn how inclusivity in the workplace and beyond can ensure mental and physical safety.\nUnderstand how to use DEI to maximize skillsets.\nExplore impactful case studies increasing representation of minoritized groups in engineering.\nDiscover DEI strategies to enhance productivity and safety in teams.\nTransform the way you lead in all areas of your life.\n\n  \nDate: Wednesday\, February 21\, 2024 \nTime: 12 noon—1:30 p.m.\, ET\, Doors open at 11:30 a.m.\, Complimentary Lunch. \nPlace: Northeastern University\, Fenway Center (77 St Stephen St\, Boston\, MA 02115) and Virtual \nWho: Students\, Faculty\, and Staff\, engineers and non-engineers across Northeastern and other universities \n  \nDr. Mark McBride-Wright is Founder and Managing Director of EqualEngineers\, a company offering a wide array of diversity & inclusion consultancy and training services for corporations\, as well as creative events. He has worked with many Fortune 50 companies. \nAs a recognized diversity and inclusion leader\, he is the recipient of the prestigious Rooke Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering in July 2022 for his work in promoting in engineering to the public. In June 2023\, he was awarded an MBE for services to Diversity\, Equity and Inclusion in the King’s Birthday Honours. He is a Visiting Professor of Inclusive Engineering Leadership at University College London\, and author of the book\, The SAFE Leader© (due for release in March 2024). \nRegister \nEngineers Week
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/national-engineers-week-rewrite-the-code-ignite-innovation-with-inclusivity-through-the-power-of-psychological-safety/
LOCATION:Fenway Center\, 77 St. Stephen Street\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240223T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240223T130000
DTSTAMP:20260510T221951
CREATED:20240208T195057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240216T220414Z
UID:4729-1708689600-1708693200@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Jason E. Bara
DESCRIPTION:Sustainability through Plastic Upcycling and Molecular Design of Green Solvents \nThis talk will give overviews of two relatively new research areas in the group of Prof. Jason E. Bara. First\, efforts in plastic waste depolymerization and upcycling will be discussed with a focus on progress that is being made in two particularly challenging materials: poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polyurethanes (PU). As PVC is the 3rd-most produced plastic worldwide\, it is also very different than other commodity polyolefins including polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). PVC offers unique opportunities for chemistry (via depolymerization and functionalization) as well as solubility behaviors which enable it to be fractionated which can be advantageous and enable new applications for waste PVC\, including 3D printing. Bara’s group is also developing a new process dubbed “imidazolysis” which can break down crosslinked PU materials with recovery of small molecules. With respect to the design of green solvents\, this talk will illustrate how Bara and collaborators are utilizing molecules with glycerol “skeletons” to tackle challenges in CO2 capture (including direct air capture (DAC))\, batteries\, plastic wastes\, additive manufacturing\, and extractions of lithium and other critical materials from dilute sources. \n\nJason received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed research publications on the topics of separations\, ionic liquids\, polymer membranes\, and chemical process engineering. He has also been awarded 15 U.S. patents for new technologies developed in these areas. In recognition of his research\, he received the Permeance Prize for Mid-Career Excellence from the North American Membrane Society (NAMS) (2024)\, Early Career Fellow from the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division of ACS (2021)\, the Membranes (MDPI) Young Investigator Award (2020) and the FRI/John G. Kunesh Award from the Separations Division of AIChE (2015). Jason has also been recognized for his contributions to chemical engineering education as the 2018 recipient of the Ray W. Fahien Award from ASEE and the 2017 recipient of the David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer-Based Chemical Engineering Education Award from AIChE. \nZoom Link
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-jason-e-bara/
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