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Department Events

Events

• Jan

  23

  SPREE Seminar: Bharat Bhushan

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering

  11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Nanotribology, Nanomechanics and Materials Characterization Studies and Applications to Bio/Nanotechnology and Biomimetics

  Abstract
  At most solid-solid interfaces of technological relevance, contact occurs at numerous asperities. A sharp atomic/friction force microscope (AFM/FFM) tip sliding on a surface simulates just one such contact. However, asperities come in all shapes and sizes that can be simulated using tips of different shapes and sizes. AFM/FFM techniques are commonly used for tribological studies of engineering surfaces at scales ranging from atomic- to microscales. Studies include surface characterization, adhesion, friction, scratching/wear, boundary lubrication, electrical resistance, surface potential, and capacitance mapping. AFMs and their modifications are also used for nanomechanical characterization, which includes measurement and analysis of hardness, elastic modulus and viscoelastic properties, and in-situ localized deformation studies. The experimental data exhibit scale effects in adhesion, friction, wear, and mechanical properties. Generally, coefficients of friction and wear rates on micro- and nanoscales are smaller, whereas hardness is greater. Therefore, micro/nanotribological studies may help define the regimes for ultra-low friction and near-zero wear. New lubrication strategies such as the use of self-assembled monolayers promise to be very versatile and effective at these scales.
  Nanotribology and Nanomechanics of various MEMS/NEMS and BioMEMS/BioNEMS devices which require relative motion is of importance4. The scale of operation and large surface-to-volume ratio of the devices result in very high retarding forces such as friction and adhesion that seriously undermine the performance and reliability of the devices. Carbon nanotubes are being used for various nanotechnology applications. The mechanical strength and reliability of many of these devices critically relies on the nanotribology and nanomechanics of the CNTs5. There are bioadhesion issues in biosensors and other BioMEMS/BioNEMS which need to be addressed.
  Biologically inspired design, adaptation, or derivation from nature is referred to as biomimetics. The understanding of the functions provided by objects and processes found in nature can guide us to imitate and produce nanomaterials, nanodevices, and processes.
  These fundamental nanotribological studies provide insight to the molecular origins of interfacial phenomena including adhesion, friction, wear, and lubrication. Friction and wear of lightly loaded micro/nano components are highly dependent on surface interactions within a few atomic layers. Nanotribological and nanomechanics studies are also valuable in the fundamental understanding of interfacial phenomena in macrostructures to provide a bridge between science and engineering. This talk will present an overview of nanotribological and nanomechanics studies and their applications to bio/nanotechnology and biomimetics.

  Bio
  Dr. Bharat Bhushan is an Ohio Eminent Scholar and The Howard D. Winbigler Professor in the College of Engineering, and the Director of the Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- & Nanotechnology and Biomimetics (NLB2) and affiliated faculty in John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. In 2013-14, he served as an ASME/AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, House Committee on Science, Space & Technology, United States Congress, Washington, DC. He holds two M.S., a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering/mechanics, an MBA, and two honorary and two semi-honorary doctorates. His research interests include fundamental studies with a focus on scanning probe techniques in the interdisciplinary areas of bio/nanotribology, bio/nanomechanics and bio/nanomaterials characterization and applications to bio/nanotechnology, and biomimetics. He has authored 8 scientific books, 90+ handbook chapters, 800+ scientific papers (One of Google Scholar’s 1745 Highly Cited Researchers (h>100), h-index - 120+ with 70k+ citations, i10-index - 725+; Web of Science h-index - 90+; Scopus h-index - 95+; ISI Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science since 2007 and in Biology and Biochemistry, 2013; ISI Top 5% Cited Authors for Journals in Chemistry, 2011; Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-field Category, 2018), and 60+ technical reports. He has also edited 50+ books and holds more than 25 U.S. and foreign patents. He is co-editor of Springer NanoScience and Technology Series and Microsystem Technologies, and member of editorial board of PNAS. He has given more than 400 invited presentations on six continents and more than 200 keynote/plenary addresses at major international conferences. He has delivered a TEDx 2019 lecture.

  He has organized various international conferences and workshops. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and international fellowships including the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize for Senior Scientists, Max Planck Foundation Research Award for Outstanding Foreign Scientists, Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, Life Achievement Tribology Award, and Institution of Chemical Engineers (UK) Global Award. His research was listed as the top ten science stories of 2015. He is a member of various professional societies, including the International Academy of Engineering (Russia). He has previously worked for various research labs including IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA. He has held visiting professorship at University of California at Berkeley, University of Cambridge, UK, Technical University Vienna, Austria, University of Paris, Orsay, ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, Univ. of Southampton, UK, Univ. of Kragujevac, Serbia, Tsinghua Univ., China, Harbin Inst., China, and KFUPM, Saudi Arabia.

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  TIME Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Tierney Acott    tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Sep

  18

  CEE Faculty Retreat

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  10:00 AM 1702 Chicago Ave

  EVENT DETAILS

  Annual faculty retreat

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  TIME Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

  LOCATION 1702 Chicago Ave   

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Sep

  18

  CEE Department BBQ & Poster Session

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  4:00 PM 225 Greenwood St

  EVENT DETAILS

  Annual CEE BBQ and Poster Session to begin the academic year.

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  TIME Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

  LOCATION 225 Greenwood St   

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Sep

  20

  CEE New Student Orientation

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  8:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Orientation for new students to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

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  TIME Friday, September 20, 2024 at 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Sep

  23

  Welcome & Luncheon for New Full-time Graduate Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  11:00 AM Ryan Auditorium, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free lunch on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

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  TIME Monday, September 23, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  LOCATION Ryan Auditorium, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  24

  Fall 2024 Classes Begin (No Northwestern Monday in Fall)

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall 2024 Classes Begin (No Northwestern Monday in Fall)

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  TIME Tuesday, September 24, 2024

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  27

  EES Seminar- Nanqing Zhou

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Title: Production of Nanoplastics and Bioavailable Carbons by Wastewater Comamonas

  Abstract: Comamonadacae bacteria are enriched on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics in wastewaters and urban rivers, but the PET-degrading mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated these mechanisms with Comamonas testosteroni KF-1, a wastewater isolate, by combining microscopy, spectroscopy, proteomics, protein modeling, and genetic engineering. Compared to minor dents on PET films, scanning electron microscopy revealed significant fragmentation of PET pellets, resulting in 3.5-fold increase in the abundance of small nanoparticles (< 100 nm) during 30-day cultivation. Infrared spectroscopy captured primarily hydrolytic cleavage in the fragmented pellet particles. Solution analysis further demonstrated double hydrolysis of a PET oligomer, bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate, to the bioavailable monomer terephthalate. Supplementation with acetate, a common wastewater co-substrate, promoted cell growth and PET fragmentation. Of the multiple hydrolases encoded in the genome, intracellular proteomics detected only one, which was found in both acetate-only and PET-only conditions. Homology modeling of this hydrolase structure illustrated substrate binding analogous to reported PET hydrolases despite dissimilar sequences. Mutants lacking this hydrolase gene were incapable of PET oligomer hydrolysis and had 25% decrease in PET fragmentation; re-insertion of the gene restored both functions. Thus, we have identified constitutive production of a key PET-degrading hydrolase in wastewater Comamonas, which can be exploited for plastics bioconversion.

  Bio: Dr. Nanqing Zhou is a postdoctoral scholar working with Prof. Ludmilla Aristilde at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University. Dr. Zhou obtained her B.S. in Environmental Science and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China. She then obtained a doctoral degree in Marine Biosciences from the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on applying multi-omics approaches to unravel the metabolic network in biotechnologically relevant microbes using waste carbon sources.

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  TIME Friday, September 27, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Sep

  30

  Last day to add a class or change a section for Fall (Last day for tuition adjustment related to enrollment changes (to or from full-time). No reductions are made to bills for dropped or swapped classes after this date)

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Last day to add a class or change a section for Fall (Last day for tuition adjustment related to enrollment changes (to or from full-time). No reductions are made to bills for dropped or swapped classes after this date)

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  TIME Monday, September 30, 2024

  ADD TO CALENDAR

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Oct

  4

  EES Seminar

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Friday, October 4, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Oct

  11

  EES Seminar

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Friday, October 11, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Oct

  12

  CEE Fall Career Fair

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  10:00 AM Louis Room, Norris University Center

  EVENT DETAILS

  Annual CEE Fall Career Fair for students.

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  TIME Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

  LOCATION Louis Room, Norris University Center    map it

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Oct

  18

  EES Seminar

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Friday, October 18, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Nov

  1

  EES Seminar

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Friday, November 1, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Nov

  8

  EES Seminar

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Friday, November 8, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Nov

  15

  EES Seminar

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Friday, November 15, 2024 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)