News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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Apr7
EVENT DETAILS
lessTopic: Geomechanical Modeling of Inception and Propagation of Compaction Bands in Porous Rocks
Join Zoom Meeting
https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/184043791
Meeting ID: 184 043 791
TIME Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
CONTACT Tierney Acott tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Apr8
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessA 1-day Distinguished Lecturer Summit Focusing on
EARTH-HUMAN INTERACTIONS: SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
The Northwestern Sustainability Lecture Series is a 1-day summit at Northwestern University wherein world-renowned experts discuss “Earth-Human Interactions: Sustainability and Development.” In this event, six Northwestern Sustainability Lecturers are selected to talk about critical challenges and advances related to energy, climate and the environment, and urban transformations, as well as to be recognized for their prominent contributions in these fields. The summit addresses the analysis of questions, problems and solutions that result from human interactions with the Earth both above and below the surface, while aiming at expanding the educational and cultural experience of a large audience.
Conceptually developed for the undergraduate and graduate students of Northwestern, this event also targets its faculty members, and aims at involving the industry and other stakeholders. Conceived within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, this event is sponsored by The Alumnae of Northwestern University, the Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience, and the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern. The ultimate goal of this summit is to inform and inspire present and future leaders while recognizing excellence across the fields of applied sciences and engineering, physical sciences, social sciences and architecture.TIME Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
LOCATION Norris University Center map it
CONTACT Alison Rodriguez alison.rodriguez@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Apr8
EVENT DETAILS
lessNONLINEAR VIBRATIONS OF SHELLS: FROM CLASSICAL PROBLEMS TO SOFT BIOLOGICAL MATTER
Abstract
This seminar will focus on nonlinear vibrations of shells made of traditional, composite, and soft biological materials. Starting from classical nonlinear shell theories, nonlinear dynamic phenomena that can be observed in circular cylindrical shells will be highlighted: from softening behavior to amplitude modulations, internal resonance and chaos. Then, in order to deal with thick walls and large strains associated to soft materials, the classical shell theories are modified by including shear and thickness deformations, as well as rotary inertia. Comparison of numerical simulations and experiments for large amplitude (geometrically nonlinear) vibrations of plates and shell structures will be presented and the very large increase of damping with the vibration amplitude will be discussed. This is a little-known phenomenon of fundamental importance in applications. The nonlinear damping will be derived in a very original way from viscoelasticity. The damping model obtained is geometrically nonlinear and the parameters are identified from experiments. Numerical results are compared to experimental forced vibration responses measured for large-amplitude vibrations of different structural elements.
Biological soft tissues are subjected to significant static and dynamic loading, yielding large strains that requires the introduction of hyperelastic and viscoelastic constitutive models. Results for human aortas will be shown and compared to experiments obtained on a mock circulatory loop.
Bio
Prof Amabili holds the Canada Research Chair in Vibrations and Fluid-Structure Interaction at McGill University in Montreal. He is the author of the monographs Nonlinear Vibrations and Stability of Shells and Plates and Nonlinear Mechanics of Shells and Plates in Composite, Soft and Biological Materials, both published by Cambridge University Press. He is the author of over 460 papers, 210 of which are published in international journals, including Nature Communications, with over 10,000 citations. He is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was selected to deliver the 2019 Koiter lecture of the Dutch research school on Engineering Mechanics; the Koiter lecture honors researchers who have made profound contributions to the field of Engineering Mechanics, and it has a rich history. He is the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Applied Mechanics Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the chair of the Canadian Committee for IUTAM. He received the Christophe Pierre Research Excellence Award by McGill University in 2015. Among other editorial appointments, he is the Contributing Editor of the International Journal of Non-linear Mechanics (Elsevier) and Associate Editor of Journal of Fluids and Structures (Elsevier).
TIME Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Tierney Acott tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Apr15
EVENT DETAILS
lessA workshop focusing on nanoscience in civil engineering will be held jointly with the Chicago Bulls College Prep. A diverse gathering of female high school students will experiment with advanced nanoscale characterization methods, novel contactless mechanical probing and durability of concrete materials.
TIME Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Alison Rodriguez alison.rodriguez@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Apr17
EVENT DETAILS
lessResource Efficient Microbial Bioprocesses for Shortcut Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater
Abstract:
Conventional wastewater treatment is an energy intensive process that consumes as much as 3% of the total electrical energy demand in the United States, in large part due to high aeration demands. Moreover, conventional treatment processes often do not remove nitrogen or phosphorus, the discharge of which can lead to eutrophication in surface waters and the death of aquatic life. Emerging processes in biological wastewater treatment include energy saving methods for nitrogen removal such as anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox), which does not require organic carbon and requires less aeration than conventional processes. My research focuses on the integration of shortcut nitrogen removal processes with biological phosphorus removal in the challenging environment of mainstream wastewater in Chicago, which is subject to low temperatures and fluctuations in flow due to wet weather events. I have investigated two treatment trains; a one-stage (single reactor) process and a two-stage (separate reactors for nitrogen and phosphorus removal) process, both of which demonstrated robust combined nitrogen and phosphorus removal at lower retention times and energy demand than conventional processes. The application of such technology holds potential for decreasing the carbon and ecological footprint of wastewater treatment across the globe.
Remote Access:
Zoom link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/424626752
Meeting ID: 424 626 752
TIME Friday, April 17, 2020 at 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
CONTACT Tierney Acott tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Apr29
EVENT DETAILS
lessQuantitative Characterization of Viscoelastic Properties of Environmental Biofilms based on Optical Coherence Elastography
Biofilms are complex biological materials comprised of living bacterial cells that are encased in a dynamic extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is a slimy aggregate that contains a variety of biopolymers including polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNA. The arrangement of these biopolymers in a biofilm contributes to its dynamic heterogeneous architecture and mechanical stability, facilitates its adhesion to surfaces, and acts as a source of nutrients for growing bacterial cells. Mechanical properties play a crucial role in the persistence of biofilms on surfaces, and their structural failure allow biofilms to disperse and recolonize new surfaces in the environment. Proliferating biofilms can impact the spread of infectious diseases through bacterial growth on medical devices, food processing equipment’s, and drinking water systems, and lead to biofouling of pipelines, ship hulls, and industrial equipment. In this lecture, I will review recent advances in mechanical characterization techniques for probing the heterogeneous mechanical properties of environmental biofilms. In particular, I will describe a new approach called Optical Coherence Elastography (OCE) for viscoelastic characterization of environmental biofilms and partially transparent hydrogels that my research group, in collaboration with Professor George Well’s group, developed recently. OCE studies on synthetic biofilm materials may provide a promising pathway to investigate the influence of single or multiple biopolymer components on the mesoscale mechanical properties of the ECM and to understand how these properties control biofilm performance and function in beneficial contexts like waste-water purification systems.
TIME Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Tierney Acott tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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May8
EVENT DETAILS
lessAdaptations in Biofilms: From Clinics to Climate Change
Abstract:
Biofilms are populations of microorganisms attached to a surface and are usually encased in extracellular polymeric substances that protect the microbes from a number of challenges. Biofilms are the predominant lifestyle of bacteria in nature, yet how this lifestyle effects evolutionary outcomes in a variety of settings, from clinical to environmental, is understudied. I explore how microbial populations evolving in different lifestyles alter evolutionary trajectories and use this information to ultimately predict how bacteria will respond to stressors like antibiotics and host defenses.Bio:
Dr. Marshall graduated with a B.S. from Virginia Tech in 2006 and a PhD from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2013. During his Ph.D., Dr. Marshall studied anaerobic microbial metabolism and extracellular electron transport in fermentation processes and microbial electrochemical systems. Following completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Marshall was then awarded the prestigious Director’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory to use computational tools to study microbial community interactions in bioenergy production, bioremediation, and microbial ecology of wetland systems. Dr. Marshall then moved to the University of Pittsburgh as a Research Assistant Professor studying the molecular targets of antimicrobial resistance. In 2019, Dr. Marshall joined the faculty at Marquette University to study the evolution of microorganisms in biofilms. Dr. Marshall has 27 peer-reviewed publications, 2 published patents, and is an editor for the mSystems journal.
TIME Friday, May 8, 2020 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Tierney Acott tierney-acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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May25
EVENT DETAILS
lessMemorial Day (no classes)
TIME Monday, May 25, 2020
CONTACT Office of the Registrar nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR University Academic Calendar
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Jun19
EVENT DETAILS
lessCommencement
TIME Friday, June 19, 2020
CONTACT Office of the Registrar nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR University Academic Calendar