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Department Events

Events

• May

  22

  Contextualizing Engineering Seminar: Luke Landherr | "Drawn To STEM: The Integration of Visualization Into Education Through Comics and Animation To Improve Learning"

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  9:30 AM LR5, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present our annual Contextualizing Engineering Seminar by Luke Landherr, COE Distinguished Teaching Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies at Northeastern University.

  Luke Landherr will present a seminar titled "Drawn To STEM: The Integration of Visualization Into Education Through Comics and Animation To Improve Learning."

  ABSTRACT

  One of the major obstacles to effective learning in STEM is the abstract nature of many core STEM concepts. While traditional approaches include examples of real-world applications, demonstrations, and/or hands-on experimentation, the depth and complexity of these concepts can cause such efforts to be unsuccessful. Further exacerbating the problem, some theoretical concepts do not have obvious visual representations that could make the concepts less abstract and so more comprehensible to students.

  The benefits of broadening visual instruction in education are not just restricted to learners with particular inclinations toward visual learning. Studies have shown that combining text with images improves students’ retention of information, and multimedia presentations of concepts allow for better transfer of the gained knowledge towards solving problems. In short, increasing the visual content of STEM instruction promotes students’ conceptual understanding.

  Recently, the use of comics and animation as learning tools has grown dramatically, with a broad set of artists, book series, and videos all dedicated to integrating visualization into educational approaches. This seminar will focus on the range of techniques being used; the potential of comics and animation in improving student enthusiasm, confidence, and understanding; the impact of these techniques observed thus far; and the means by which other educators can attempt visualization techniques on their own.

  BIO

  Dr. Luke Landherr is a COE Distinguished Faculty, teaching professor and the associate chair for undergraduate studies of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University. They conduct engineering education research into novel visual teaching techniques for undergraduate and K-12 STEM education. Their comics to teach complex science and engineering concepts have been adopted by colleges and high schools throughout the U.S., U.K., Belgium, and Denmark, and they helped to write and create the Crash Course: Engineering video series. They are currently a regular contributor to the Chemical Engineering Education journal producing the Drawn To Engineering comic, and have received multiple AIChE and ASEE awards for their work.

  *Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am.

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  TIME Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION LR5, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Olivia Wise    olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  4

  BTP Seminar Series: Sean Kevlahan, Nanite

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  12:00 PM LR4, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  Polymer, Platform, Partner: Lessons from Two Biotech Startups

  Sean Kevlahan’s entrepreneurial journey began with the cofounding of Quad Technologies, a startup focused on cell separation and activation technologies to enable scalable cell
  therapy manufacturing. As CEO, Sean guided Quad from concept to commercialization, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Bio-Techne. At Bio-Techne, he transitioned into a leadership role where he launched and scaled the Cell and Gene Therapy business unit, spearheading strategic initiatives that expanded the company’s footprint in advanced therapeutics. Driven by a continued passion for genetic medicine and delivery innovation,
  Sean went on to co-found Nanite—a next-generation non-viral gene delivery company. At Nanite, Sean is now leading the development of programmable polymer nanoparticles designed to unlock targeted, durable expression of therapeutic proteins and peptides via DNA delivery. His journey reflects a deep commitment to building platform technologies at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, and medicine, with the goal of transforming how genetic medicines are delivered and developed.

  Sean Kevlahan is the CEO and co-founder of Nanite, a biotechnology company pioneering the design of programmable polymer nanoparticles for non-viral gene delivery. He holds a
  B.S. in Biochemistry from Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University. Throughout his career, Sean has worked at the intersection of materials science and genetic medicine. Prior to founding Nanite, he cofounded Quad Technologies, which was acquired by Bio-Techne. Following the acquisition, Sean went on to nucleate Bio-Techne’s Cell and Gene Therapy business unit, where he led all strategic initiatives in the CGT space.

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  TIME Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

  LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Will Chaussee    william.chaussee@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  5

  ChBE Seminar Series: TBA

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  9:30 AM LR5, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  More details to come.

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  TIME Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION LR5, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Olivia Wise    olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  15

  2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

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  TIME Sunday, June 15, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Jun

  16

  Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM 2705 Ashland Ave

  EVENT DETAILS

  McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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  TIME Monday, June 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 2705 Ashland Ave   

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  CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events    northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  16

  Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  2:00 PM 2705 Ashland Ave

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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  TIME Monday, June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

  LOCATION 2705 Ashland Ave   

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  CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events    northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  23

  Summer classes begin

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Summer classes begin

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  TIME Monday, June 23, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  16

  Fall 2025 Classes Begin

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall 2025 Classes Begin

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  TIME Tuesday, September 16, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar