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Department Events

Events

• May

  6

  BTP Seminar Series: Kathryn Kosuda, Terrestrial

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  12:00 PM LR5, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Biotechnology Training Program is pleased to present the following seminar by Kathryn Kosuda:

  Engineering Improved Access to Medicines: Microneedle Array Patch Development and the Journey to Commercialization

  Microneedle array patches (MAPs) have the potential to fundamentally transform the way we access medicines. Simple, self-administration at home and sharps-free disposal enables a better patient experience, while cold-chain free storage and distribution lowers costs and broadens access. In this seminar, the technical foundation and advances in MAP development will be reviewed along with a discussion of the technical, regulatory, and commercial scale manufacturing challenges associated with bringing a novel drug/device product to market. Terrestrial Bio’s MAP platform, which employs a dissolving microneedle design whereby drug-loaded tips are deployed into the skin, has been engineered to address the central challenge of consistent delivery of clinical doses. The science supporting the platform utility across therapeutics and vaccines will be presented, in the context of a biotech startup journey to commercialization.

  With a background in chemistry and nanomaterials, Kathryn has focused on the translation of academic research breakthroughs into impactful products, working across disciplines of biology, chemistry, and engineering. Prior to co-founding Terrestrial, Kathryn was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology at Harvard. Kathryn began her career in research and development at Merck. She holds a BA in chemistry from Colby College and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University.

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  TIME Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

  LOCATION LR5, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Will Chaussee    william.chaussee@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  4

  Contextualizing Engineering Seminar: "HIDDEN FIGURES: The unseen power of gut microbes and a culture of inclusion advancing next gen biomanufacturing" | Kevin Solomon, University of Delaware

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  9:30 AM Pancoe Auditorium, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is pleased to present our annual Contextualizing Engineering Seminar with Kevin Solomon, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware.

  Dr. Solomon will present a seminar titled "HIDDEN FIGURES: The unseen power of gut microbes and a culture of inclusion advancing next‑gen biomanufacturing."

  Microbial chemical factories are sustainable biomanufacturing platforms that complement traditional petrochemical industries by using renewable and/or alternative carbon sources. Most attractive of these are those derived from unconventional microbes due to their rich repertoire of enzymes to efficiently process diverse carbon sources and unique capacity to catalyze certain industrial chemistries at scale. These properties are frequently a consequence of the high resource competition in their native exotic environments, such as animal microbiomes. However, these microbes remain poorly characterized with few tools to deploy them for industrial applications. In this talk, I will describe our progress towards the study and engineering of these systems for the use of post-consumer plastics and lignocellulosic biomass. I will also share some of our work building an inclusive community of scholars to foster development of a more creative next generation workforce.

  Dr. Kevin Solomon is the Thomas & Kipp Gutshall Career Development Associate Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware. His work focuses on developing environmental microbes and microbiomes that are well-adapted for applications in sustainability, materials, and health via systems and synthetic biology approaches. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering from McMaster University, an MS in Chemical Engineering Practice from MIT, and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT. He has been recognized with multiple awards for research, teaching, and service including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Biden in 2025, a US Department of Energy Early Career Award (2019), an NSF CAREER Award (2022), the Society for Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (SIMB) Early Career Award (2022), the Lloyd N. Ferguson Young Scientist Award from NOBCChE (2023), the American Chemical Society (ACS) Biochemical Technology (BIOT) Division Early Career Award (2023) and the AIChE Division 15 Early Career Award (2023). He has provided expert testimony before the 116th US House of Representatives on the convergence of engineering and biology and has coauthored several technology roadmaps for engineering biology.

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  TIME Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

  LOCATION Pancoe Auditorium, Pancoe-NSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion    map it

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  CONTACT Olivia Wise    olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  14

  Spring 2026 Commencement

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Spring 2026 Commencement

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  TIME Sunday, June 14, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Jun

  15

  Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM

  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 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  15

  Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  2:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  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 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  19

  Juneteenth - University Closed

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Juneteenth - University Closed

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  TIME Friday, June 19, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Jul

  3

  Independence Day (observed) - University Closed

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Independence Day (observed) - University Closed

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  TIME Friday, July 3, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  23

  Fall 2026 Classes Begin

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall 2026 Classes Begin

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  TIME Wednesday, September 23, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar