News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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Apr16
EVENT DETAILS
lessPlease join us for the annual BME Jaharis Lecture.
Dr. Omid Veiseh from Rice University presents "Bioengineering Cell-based Therapeutics"
Abstract: Cell-based therapeutics are an emerging modality that can potentially treat many currently intractable diseases through uniquely powerful modes of action. Our group is innovating new biomaterials and cellular constructs for medicine and biology by combining chemical biology, cellular engineering, and multi-scale fabrication. We have pioneered innovative approaches to synthesizing and in vivo screening of large libraries of biomaterial formulations for tailored applications in immunology and medicine. In my talk, I will describe our advances in discovering immunomodulatory biomaterials that can interact appropriately with the host immune system for localized immunomodulation. I will highlight our efforts to develop “cytokine factories” locally activating the innate and adaptive immune response to generate systemic immunotherapy and eradicate metastatic cancer. This approach has advanced to phase I/II human clinical trials for treating recurrent, refractory ovarian cancer.
Bio: Dr. Omid Veiseh, Ph.D., is a Professor and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research in the Departments of Bioengineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. He is also the Director of Rice University's Biotech Launch Pad, a new initiative with a mission to accelerate the translation of Rice University discoveries and technologies into clinical practice to provide rapid patient access to leading-edge therapeutic products. He leads an interdisciplinary translational research program to engineer and commercialize next-generation cell-based therapeutics for various human diseases. His team leverages the latest techniques in synthetic biology, immunoengineering, and materials science to develop innovative cell-based platforms for real-time and feedback-regulated production of biologics. Throughout his career, he has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, including those in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biomedical Engineering. He is an inventor on more than 50 pending or awarded patents. He is also a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded multiple biotechnology companies, collectively attracting ~ $500M in private and public investment capital. Dr. Veiseh has been elected as a fellow of the Controlled Release Society and a member of the National Academy of Inventors.
TIME Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
LOCATION L211, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Jaime Harris jaime.harris@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Biomedical Engineering Department (BME)
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Apr23
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessIntegrating Engineering Education into BME
Abstract
Engineering Education Research (EER) is a rigorous, interdisciplinary field which is distinct from other engineering disciplines. Scholars in EER focus on and apply research methods from education, learning sciences, and socialbehavioral sciences to address a variety of issues pertaining to teaching, learning, and practice in the process of educating engineers. EER uses research processes similar to those used in traditional engineering disciplines, but it relies on different (equally rigorous) methods and mechanisms to achieve and measure impact in the field. There are currently only doctoral programs related to engineering education and a few general engineering degree programs including some online credentialing offerings. More universities are embedding engineering education scholars into traditional engineering departments. The focus of this talk will explore the question of How Can EER be integrated into a BME department? To support this discussion, I will briefly describe the history that led to the development of engineering education as an independent research field and how I apply design principles to education research. I will highlight the similarities between BME and engineering education research and provide an overview of the current research projects within the Cross Inclusive Excellence in Engineering research group. I will summarize a few opportunities for the department to integrate EER into BME. The talk will conclude with a few guiding questions posed to the entire department that can lead to more discussion about the education mission of the department.
Bio
Dr. Kelly J. Cross, Assistant Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at Georgia Tech and Emory University, is a datainformed, transformational mission-focused culturally responsive practitioner, researcher, and educational leader. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 2007 and Masters of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2011. Cross completed her doctoral program in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech in 2015 and worked as a post-doctoral scholar in the Bioengineering Department at UIUC until 2017. She is a member of the ASEE Leadership Virtual Community of Practice (LVCP) that organizes and facilitates Safe Zone Training workshops. Dr. Cross has conducted online and in-person workshops on managing personal bias in STEM, inclusive teaching practices, and mitigating racialized power and privilege. Her research interests include inclusive excellence in STEM, the role of AI in BME curricula, interdisciplinary research, intersectionality, teamwork, and engineering identity construction. Dr. Cross is an NSF CAREER awardee; the national ITM Faculty Mentor of the Year Awardee; was named one of “1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America” by Cell Mentor; has delivered multiple distinguished invited lectures; and was lead co-Editor of the book Queering Stem Culture in US Higher Education, published in 2022. Her teaching philosophy focuses on student centered approaches such as problem-based learning and culturally relevant pedagogy. Dr. Cross’ complimentary professional activities promote inclusive excellence through collaboration.
TIME Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
LOCATION L211, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT BME Administrator bme-administrator@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Biomedical Engineering Department (BME)