News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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May20
EVENT DETAILS
Join leaders from the Northwestern Personal Development StudioLab for a presentation about the new Curious Life Certificate (CLC), a series of courses designed to give you a holistic approach to your performance both academically and in your personal life.
TIME Monday, May 20, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
LOCATION Design Studio 3 (Room 3-210), Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center map it
CONTACT Bruce Ankenman ankenman@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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May22
EVENT DETAILS
Biodegradable Polymers from Methane: An Industrial Fermentation Scale-up Journey
Mango Materials is a California-based start-up that uses methane gas to produce biodegradable biopolymers that can be economically and functionally competitive with conventional, oil-based plastics. Mango Materials produces powder or pellets of poly-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a valuable product that can be converted into a variety of high-margin or high-volume, environmentally friendly goods such as textiles, injection-molded packaging or other products, or films. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas often produced as a byproduct at sites such as wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and agricultural facilities. In this process, biogas methane is directly utilized as a feedstock for bacteria, which produce PHA intracellularly in a fermentation process. The PHA is then separated from the non-polymer cell mass and used in a variety of downstream applications. This presentation will discuss Mango Materials’ origins and scale-up journey as well as the path to full-scale commercialization of its technology.
Allison Pieja is the co-founder and CTO of Mango Materials, a start-up company that produces biodegradable polymers from methane gas. She received her Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Stanford, with a focus on selection of microbes for the production of poly-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from methane. Allison received her B.S.E. from Princeton University in Civil & Environmental Engineering and graduated with a Certificate in Engineering Biology. She has contributed to multiple patents and publications in the PHA field. At Mango Materials, she leads scale-up and process optimization of Mango Materials’ process to produce biopolymer from waste methane gas. She has been the PI on grants awarded from NSF and NASA, investigating optimization and scale-up of methane-to-PHA on Earth and beyond.
TIME Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
CONTACT Jennifer Young jennifer.young@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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May23
EVENT DETAILS
The 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
The 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
McCormick 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
Innovation 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
Innovation 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