News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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Sep28
EVENT DETAILS
lessTopic: Exploring the low-data regime in hyperelasticity and elastoplasticity
Abstract: Machine learning techniques are gearing up to play a significant role in the field of computational solid mechanics and multiphysics, enabling the integration of experimental data and physical constraints towards data-driven constitutive laws, acceleration of computational techniques for multi-scale modeling, and new paradigms for the solution of forward and inverse problems, to name a few. This talk will cover recent advancements in the area of ML-enabled constitutive modeling I) A physics-informed data-driven constitutive modeling approach for isotropic and anisotropic hyperelastic materials is developed using tensor representation theorems. The trained surrogates (using laGPR and NNs) are able to respect physical principles such as material frame indifference, material symmetry, and the local balance of angular momentum. Overall, the presented approach is tested on synthetic data from isotropic and anisotropic constitutive laws and shows surprising accuracy even far beyond the limits of the training domain, indicating that the resulting surrogates can efficiently generalize as they incorporate knowledge about the underlying physics. Additionally, it is shown that the inherent material symmetries can be discovered directly from data. II) Finally, we proceed to tackle elastoplasticity in a modular framework. Employing convexity for the yield functions we recover texture-parametrized yield functions using input convex (IC)NNs and propose a hybrid model-data-driven framework to recover yield functions with tension compression asymmetries in the low data regime. Additionally, by employing thermodynamic requirements in an NN-based framework we learn hardening laws from limited experimental data.
Biography: Dr. Bouklas is an Assistant Professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Prior to that, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory for Multiscale Materials Modeling at EPFL, Switzerland, and at the Oden Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his Ph.D. from the Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics department at the University of Texas at Austin and obtained his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Dr. Bouklas' research focuses on the fields of theoretical and computational solid mechanics. Developing theoretical frameworks and advanced computational methods, he aims to improve the fundamental understanding of materials and structures and enhance the predictive capabilities in relevant engineering applications. He is interested in the study of soft materials, active materials, and biomaterials, fracture and instabilities, as well as multiscale modeling in coupled multi-physical systems. He is the recipient of the Young Investigator Program award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
TIME Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Sep30
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: CRISPR/Cas9 in mollicutes : from natural system to genome engineering tools
Abstract: CRISPR/Cas systems are widely represented in bacteria and archaea and provide them an adaptative defense mechanism against exogenous DNA or RNA. Because of its wide use as a genome engineering tool, type II CRISPR system from Streptococcus pyogenes has been extensively studied. The core system includes the endonuclease Cas9 and one sgRNA Cas9 on a target site with a recognition specificity depending on the NGG Protospacer Adjacent Motif (PAM). Mollicutes are minimal bacteria that have no cell wall and most of them use an alternative genetic code. Their genomes are AT rich (~70-75%) with a size ranging from 0.58 to 2.2Mbp. Most of them have a parasitic lifestyle and are pathogens of a wide host diversity including humans, other animals and plants. For most mollicutes species, genome engineering currently remains challenging mainly because homologous recombination is poorly efficient. The aim of my thesis was to (1) characterize CRISPR/Cas9 systems of mollicutes, (2) develop a genome engineering tool based on endogenous CRISPR/Cas9 system and, (3) extend the toolbox for some mycoplasma species of veterinary interest for any precise genetics tool was available.
Biography: Thomas Ipoutcha is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at Northwestern University. He previously worked on the Mollicutes team to develop genome engineering tools on minimal bacteria. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Bordeaux (France) in February 2022. He is now interested in solving important health issues, like drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He is looking to develop strategies to fight this bacteria using phage therapy technology. You can find him on Twitter and check out his publications via ORCID.
TIME Friday, September 30, 2022 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Oct6
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe late, great management consultant Peter Drucker said he only predicted "what's already happened," which is great advice for technology forecasting. Drawing from his new book, The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and a Roaring 2020s, Mark Mills cuts through the fog of hype to illuminate what's coming next, despite the (inevitable) chaos afoot in the world.
Speaker: Mark Mills
CEO, Digital Capital Power
Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
Faculty Fellow, Northwestern EngineeringMark Mills believes emerging domains of manufacturing are poised to breathe new life into the US economy. Just as the tech boom gave rise to a whole new economy in the 1990s, Mills predicts bioelectronics, transient electronics, electroceuticals, and the "Internet of things" could have a similar effect.
Mills is founder and CEO of Digital Capital Power, a tech-centric capital advisory group. He also cofounded the Digital Power Group, Digital Power Capital, and ICx Technologies. A trained physicist and development engineer, Mills served as a staff consultant to the White House Science Office under President Ronald Reagan, a number of federal research laboratories, and the US Department of Energy.
TIME Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION ITW, 1-350, Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center map it
CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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Oct7
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle:
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD
TIME Friday, October 7, 2022 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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Oct12
EVENT DETAILS
lessTopic: Tailor-made soil properties by bio-geochemical means
Abstract: Among the non-conventional soil consolidation techniques, bio-mineralization has been a central focus of research for the past decade. At its core, Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) is a multi-physical phenomenon, resulting in a natural CaCO3 bio-cement, capable of improving the mechanical properties of geomaterials. At the confluence of many disciplines, the technique is also proposed as a solution for a diverse range of geotechnical and geo-environmental applications. In order to better elucidate the fundamental mechanisms governing the process and thereby enable better predictability and optimization, a holistic understanding of MICP is achieved through multiple levels of study, each with specific focuses and challenges, namely the microscopic, geotechnical laboratory and, field-scale applications. A focus will be devoted to the multiphysical modeling of the chemo-bio-mechanical interactions at the constitutive as well as boundary problem levels.
Biography:
Lyesse Laloui is a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. He is a full member of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences and serves as the European Vice President of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Lyesse Laloui is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment journal. He delivered several prestigious lectures such as the “Vienna Terzaghi Lecture”, the “Vardoulakis Lecture”, the “G.A. Leonards Lecture”, and the “Kersten Lecture”. He has won many awards in recognition of his work including the “Excellent Contributions Award” of the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics. Prof. Laloui has been recognized for his commitment to global sustainability with a Doctorate honoris causa from Heriot-Watt University. His efforts in the area of sustainability have been awarded by the European Research Council with an Advanced ERC Grant for his project BIOGEOS (BIO-mediated GEO-material Strengthening), followed by an ERC Proof of Concept Grant (PoC). This lecture presents the outcomes of this Advanced ERC Grant.
TIME Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
LOCATION L211, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Oct14
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Predicting Landscape Form and Dynamics and Various Modeling Approaches: A Case Study Implementing Landscape Connectivity with Topographic Filtering Model
Abstract: A wide range of modeling approaches exists for simulating landscape processes, each with a specific formulation of geomorphic transport laws and predictive capability combining human, physical, and social forces that drive landscape changes. How we build a landscape simulation model depends on a suite of factors, including what we model, the scale of prediction, why we model, and the current extent of knowledge. The widespread availability of high-fidelity topography combined with advances in geospatial analysis offers the opportunity to reimagine approaches to the difficult problem of predicting sediment delivery from watersheds. Here we present a model that uses high-resolution topography to filter sediment sources to quantify sediment delivery to the watershed outlet. It is a reduced-complexity, top-down model that defines transfer functions—topographic filters—between spatially distributed sediment sources and spatially integrated sediment delivery. The goal of the model is to forecast changes in watershed suspended sediment delivery in response to spatially distributed changes in sediment source magnitude or delivery, whether a result of watershed drivers or intentional management actions. Such an application requires the context of a watershed model that accounts for all sediment sources, enforces sediment mass balance throughout the spatial domain, and accommodates sediment storage and delivery over time. The model is developed for a HUC-8 watershed with a flat upland dominated by corn-soybean agriculture and deeply incised valleys near the watershed outlet with large sediment contributions from near-channel sources. Topofilter computes the delivery and storage of field-derived sediment according to its spatial and structural connectivity to the stream channel network; subsequently, delivery of both field- and near-channel-derived sediment along with floodplain storage are computed in the stream channel network to the watershed outlet. The model outputs provide a spatially rich representation of sediment delivery and storage on the field and along the stream that is consistent with available independent information on sediment accumulations and fluxes. Rather than a single best-calibrated solution, Topofilter uses the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimate (GLUE) approach to develop many possible solutions with sediment delivery rates expressed as probability distribution functions across the watershed. The ensemble of simulation outputs provides a useful basis for estimating uncertainty in sediment delivery and the effectiveness of different landscape management allocations across a watershed.
TIME Friday, October 14, 2022 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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Oct19
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Applied Experimental Mechanics from Microelectronics to Biofilms
Abstract: Early work on the reliability of microelectronic interfaces led to curious and competing effects of surface roughness and surface chemistry on interfaces. By shrinking the size scale down to a single layer of interfacial molecules, we demonstrated control over both interfacial adhesion and thermal conductance. Currently, my lab uses the fundamentals of thin film mechanics developed while studying microelectronic interfaces to address imminent challenges associated with the adhesion of biological films. Adhesion is critical to biofilm-forming infections, particularly at implant sites, and contributes to disease progression. Biofilm formation is a significant problem within the American healthcare system, accounting for 17 million infections, 550,000 deaths, and an estimated cost of billions of dollars annually. We have adapted the laser spallation technique to determine dominant parameters that promote strong biofilm adhesion and are establishing a novel Adhesion Index – a ratio of mammalian cell adhesion to biofilm adhesion. With these new tools, we investigate the role of biofilm mechanics towards the propensity to develop medical device infections
Biography:
Prof. Martha E. Grady (Meg) is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY, USA. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida, master's and Ph.D. degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and spent two years at the University of Pennsylvania as a Postdoctoral Fellow before beginning her faculty appointment in 2016. She is a past chair of the Biological Systems and Materials technical division for the Society for Experimental Mechanics, where she is a very active member. She was awarded the UCF MAE Alumni Young Engineer Award in 2015, the NSF CAREER Award in 2021, and the UK College of Engineering Excellence in Research Award in 2022. Her research is supported by NSF, NIH, and NASA. Her research interests lie at the intersection of materials, deformation mechanics, and medical interfaces.
TIME Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Oct21
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD
TIME Friday, October 21, 2022 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Oct26
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: An Ally in Dissipation: From Effective Impact Mitigation to Enhanced Actuation through Engineered Dissipation
Biography: Prof. Ramathasan Thevamaran received his B.Sc.Eng.(Hons.) (2008) in Civil Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and his M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2015) in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, CA. Prior to joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering of Rice University, TX. His research focuses on (i) developing a fundamental understanding of the process-structure-property-function relations in structured materials, and (ii) creating innovative structured materials with superior specific properties and novel functionalities for extreme engineering applications. He is the recipient of the 2022 Early Career Faculty Award from NASA, and the 2021 Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russel Johnston, Jr. Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award from the American Society for Engineering Education.
Abstract:
Superior specific energy absorption, strength, and stiffness are critical for protective materials that are used in lightweight armor and spacecraft. Nanofibrous materials offer an opportunity to synergistically exploit intrinsic nanofiber properties and inter-fiber interactions for dynamic performance enhancement. We show synergistic performance improvement with failure retardation in carbon nanotube (CNT) mats by augmenting the weak van der Waal interactions with stronger and reconfigurable interfacial hydrogen bonds formed by introducing aramid nanofiber (ANF) links between CNTs. Under supersonic microprojectile impacts, strengthened dynamic interactions in ANF-CNT mats enhance their specific energy absorption up to 3.6 MJ/kg—outperforming other nanomaterials and widely used bulk Kevlar fiber-based protective materials.
The dissipation, on the other hand, is undesirable when designing actuators or metamaterials for high-quality wave transmission. In contrast, we demonstrate a reconfigurable enhancement in actuation force using engineered dissipative elements in a non-Hermitian metamaterial. The actuation force is enhanced up to twofold at a constant quality factor when we bring the system to operate at the proximity to an exceptional point—a singularity where the eigenvalues of a system and its corresponding eigenvectors coalesce. The ability to enhance forces by virtue of an engineered passive material can lead to lightweight autonomous actuation devices.
TIME Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Oct28
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Modeling microbiome data in the presence of complex measurement error
Abstract: Estimating and modeling the relative abundances of bacterial species in a microbiome is a common task in modern microbiome studies. Motivated by our work showing that high-throughput sequencing distorts the true composition of microbial communities, we propose a statistical model and algorithm for estimating microbial relative abundances. Notably, our procedure permits estimated relative abundances to lie on the boundary of the simplex. We conclude with examples of the utility of the method, and recommendations for the design and analysis of microbiome studies. Our approach can be leveraged to select experimental protocols, design experiments with appropriate control data, and remove sample-specific contamination. This is joint work with David Clausen.
Bio: Amy Willis is the Principal Investigator of the Statistical Diversity Lab and a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. Amy and StatDivLab develop tools for the analysis of microbiome and biodiversity data. Amy is passionate about reproducible science, meaningful data analysis, ecosystem and host health, and collaborating with scientists who share these values. Amy is the recipient of an NIH Outstanding Investigator Award, a University of Washington Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, and a University of Washington Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award.
TIME Friday, October 28, 2022 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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Oct31
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe 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, other stakeholders,
and the general public. 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 architectureTIME Monday, October 31, 2022 at 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
LOCATION Louis Room, Norris University Center map it
CONTACT Tierney Acott tierney.acott@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Nov2
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Novel Mixed Matrix Polymer Membranes for Critical Gas Separations
Abstract:
Polymeric membranes, which present an efficient solution for emergent technologies, such as CO2 capture and natural gas purification, are effective at the selective and efficient transport of gases. The field of polymer membrane design is primarily based on empirical observation, which limits the discovery of new, advanced materials most appropriate for separating a given gas pair. Instead of relying on exhaustive experimental investigations, we apply machine learning on a limited set of experimental gas permeability data to predict the behavior of over 10,000 homopolymer architectures that are currently known. However, this approach, while extremely efficient, suggests that the current polymers used in membrane applications represent the best that this template can provide – thus new platforms are required to improve performance. To this end, we thus propose novel membranes based on polymers grafted onto nanoparticles (GNPs). The issues raised by these methods and ways to use and leverage them to improve performance systematically are the major focus of my talk.
Biography: Sanat K. Kumar creates, analyzes, and models new classes of polymer-based materials with improved properties. A particular focus is on hybrid materials (polymer with inorganic filler) with relevance to biomimicry, and energy storage and conversion. His work in this area spans all topics of polymer nanocomposites including self-assembly, microstructure, glassy segmental dynamics and vitrification, elasticity and reinforcement, linear and nonlinear mechanical-dynamical phenomena, chain relaxation, nanoparticle diffusion and dynamics. The work in this group combines theory, simulation, and experiment to advance the science of energy conversion and storage and more recently to mimic biology (e.g., the development of hierarchical morphologies as found in Nacre with the goal of achieving unprecedented improvements in properties and the use of DNA to guide the assembly of nanoparticle into desired structures).
TIME Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Nov4
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD
TIME Friday, November 4, 2022 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
LOCATION A230, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Joy Trehan joy.trehan@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Nov9
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Localization Limiter for Stochastic Simulations of Quasibrittle Fracture
Abstract: Continuum finite element (FE) modeling of damage and failure of quasi-brittle structures suffers from spurious mesh sensitivity due to strain localization. This issue has primarily been addressed for deterministic analysis through the development of localization limiters. This talk will present
a mechanism-based model to mitigate the mesh sensitivity in stochastic FE simulations of quasi-brittle fracture. The interest is placed on the analysis of large-size structures, where the
mesh size is conveniently chosen to be larger than the width of the fracture process zone as well
as the correlation length of the random fields of material properties. The present model is formulated within the framework of continuum damage mechanics. Two localization parameters are introduced to describe the evolution of the damage pattern of finite elements. These parameters are used to guide the energy regularization of the constitutive law, as well as to formulate the mesh-dependent probability distribution functions of constitutive properties. The model is
applied to simulate the stochastic failure behaviors of quasi-brittle structures of different geometries featuring different failure processes including damage initiation, localization, and propagation. It is shown that using fixed probability distribution functions of constitutive properties could lead to strong mesh dependence of the predicted mean and variance of the structural load capacity. To mitigate the spurious mesh sensitivity, one would need to consider the fact that the probability distribution functions of constitutive properties of the finite element are intimately related to the damage pattern, which may evolve during the loading process. The extension of
the model to random field representations of material properties will also be discussed.Bio: Dr. Jia-Liang Le is a Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Civil, Environmental,
and Geo-Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering
(First Class Honors) and Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the National
The University of Singapore and Northwestern University have a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering.
He is a registered Professional Engineer in Minnesota. His research interests include
fracture mechanics, probabilistic, scaling, computational mechanics, and
structural reliability. He published two books and over 70 journal papers. He has received
several research awards including the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, the
EMI Leonardo da Vinci Award from ASCE, the Society of Engineering Science Young
Investigator Medal, and the Early Achievement Research Award from the International
Association for Structural Safety and Reliability (IASSAR).TIME Wednesday, November 9, 2022 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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Nov11
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Self-supply for safely managed water: To promote or to deter?
Abstract:
For centuries, households have survived and thrived relying on simple, self-supplied drinking water sourced mainly from groundwater that is self-financed and self-managed by individual households. In Indonesia, piped water is only accessible for 20% of its population while 37% use self-supply for drinking water. With proper point-of-use treatment such as boiling or filtering, alongside appropriate source protection, self-supply may provide households with safely managed water. However, since domestic groundwater use is often unregulated and unmonitored, several risks may exist. In rural and urban areas, these risks include fecal contamination, seasonal variability, and over-extraction. With the demand for safe drinking water ever increasing, should self[1]supply water be promoted or deterred? If so, what is the role of government and other stakeholders in ensuring a sustainable future for drinking water supply combined with groundwater conservation?Bio:
Dr.Cindy Rianti Priadi (CRP) is an assistant professor, working at Universitas Indonesia since 2011, where she is currently head of the Environmental Engineering Study Program and Vice Head of the Center for Engineering Education. She is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the North Carolina State University. She has conducted research and taught courses on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in an urban context, and water quality on the surface as well as groundwater since her doctoral research in 2007. Her work focuses on source tracking of environmental contaminants and WASH provision for the ultimate goal of water security.TIME Friday, November 11, 2022 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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Nov18
EVENT DETAILS
lessTitle: Urban Science to Solutions
Abstract: Inquiries into the dynamics of urban systems have improved our understanding of urban metabolism over the last century. However, cities continue to struggle to achieve sustainability goals. Most decisions made in urban management are based on the system scale. However, high gradients in urban areas and their interconnectedness to exogenous and endogenous drivers are significant factors that impact urban systems, and therefore urban sustainability decisions should be carefully considered. Several questions arise regarding how such scales should be selected, their dimensions, and their modeling. As part of this presentation, I will discuss research conducted at appropriate scales for urban climates and system-level modeling for issues related to heat, pollution, energy, and environmental justice in urban areas. Furthermore, I will provide an overview of how interdisciplinary urban science can be utilized to develop and evaluate solutions aimed at helping urban communities and ecosystems thrive.
Biography:
Dr. Ashish Sharma is a Research Scientist and the Climate and Urban Sustainability Lead at the Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois System. In addition to his graduate faculty appointment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, he also holds a joint appointment as a Climate Scientist at the Environmental Science Division of the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. The focus of his research is on atmospheric sciences and land-atmosphere interactions at a variety of spatial scales (regional to local). He performs targeted climate dynamical downscaling experiments with the overall goal of creating “bridges” between spatial scales. Another aspect of his research involves collaborating across science, engineering, social sciences, and policy to perform collaborative, applied, and translational research focused on reducing vulnerabilities and increasing preparedness in urban environments. He collaborates with cities and institutions to conduct research on environmental issues related to heat, fog, air quality, high-impact weather, and environmental justice topics. He has projects funded by NSF, NASA, DOE, IBM, and foundations.
Dr. Sharma holds a Ph.D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University (2012). He is a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and has published more than 30 articles. He has co-authored an assessment on the impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes region (2019) and a special assessment of the impacts of climate change on the State of Illinois (2021). He also co-authored the 2019 NOAA report on climate research to enhance resilience to extreme Heat to align research priorities with stakeholder needs. He is one of the authors of the first climate action plan for the Chicago metro region (2021), which has been recognized nationally. He is the Associate Editor of the Frontiers in Environmental Science: Atmosphere and Climate journal.
TIME Friday, November 18, 2022 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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Nov23
EVENT DETAILS
lessThanksgiving vacation begins 6 p.m.
TIME Wednesday, November 23, 2022
CONTACT Office of the Registrar nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR University Academic Calendar