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  • Oct
    18

    EES Seminar: Na Wei

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    Engineering Biocatalysts at the Molecular Level for Water and Energy Sustainability

    Abstract:
    Environmental contamination and increasing demand for renewable energy are two critical issues that need innovative and effective solutions to ensure a sustainable future. Biocatalysis, which refers to the use of enzymes or microbial cells for chemical transformations, can be exploited as a green chemistry alternative to address the challenges for environmental sustainability. This talk will present our research on understanding and engineering biocatalytic systems at the molecular level for i) degradation of emerging contaminants in water reclamation and reuse and ii) waste-to-energy/value biotransformation.

    The first topic will focus on the development of renewable enzyme biocatalysts for treating recalcitrant organic contaminants. Specifically, synthetic biology and protein engineering approaches are used to develop a new type of surface-display enzyme biocatalysts that have unique advantageous features to overcome the drawbacks of conventional immobilized enzymes. Surface display of fungal laccase on Baker’s yeast cells can ensure the enzyme functionality while enhancing stability and enabling reuse. The biocatalyst can be easily regenerated through cell cultivation, without need for time-consuming and expensive protein purification. Renewability is assured by the ability to generate and automatically localize the enzyme of interest on the surface of biological cells through engineered biological machinery. Being at the interface of fundamental science and applied technology, the research could lead to an efficient, robust and renewable biocatalytic technology as an innovative advanced treatment alternative for water reclamation and reuse. The second topic will focus on renewable biofuel production from lignocellulosic waste materials. Specifically, molecular and systems biology techniques are used to understand and modify microbial metabolism at genetic level. Examples will illustrate development of novel whole cell biocatalyts for efficient conversion of cellulosic biomass components to biofuel through metabolic engineering, and discovery of gene regulation mechanisms and identification of novel gene targets for enhanced biofuel production through omics approaches. Underlying these studies is the combined application of molecular biology techniques, synthetic biology, systems biology, metabolic engineering, bioprocess and environmental engineering principles.

    Biography:
    Na Wei, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Wei is currently leading the Environmental Molecular and Synthetic Biology Laboratory (https://www3.nd.edu/~nwei/index.html). She received her B.S. degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Sichuan University, China, her Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and Energy Bioscience Institute at UIUC. Wei’s research is focused on understanding and manipulating biological systems at the molecular level for beneficial applications towards environmental sustainability. Her research has been funded by multiple agencies including NSF, USDA, NIH, and USAID. Wei received NSF CAREER award in 2017.

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    TIME Friday, October 18, 2019 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 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
    8

    Welcome & Breakfast for New McCormick PhD Students

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    9:00 AM LR2 & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, September 8, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

    LOCATION LR2 & Tech East Plaza, 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
    12

    New Undergraduate Fall 2025 Registration

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, September 12, 2025

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

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Sep
    15

    Welcome & Luncheon for New Full-time Graduate Students

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    11:00 AM Ryan Auditorium & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, September 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

    LOCATION Ryan Auditorium & Tech East Plaza, 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
    16

    Fall Classes Begin. Change of Registration (Drop/Add) Late registration for returning students begins

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Tuesday, September 16, 2025

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

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Sep
    24

    SPREE Seminar

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at 11:00 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
    26

    EES Seminar

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, September 26, 2025 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
    29

    AED-MPM Seminar

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, September 29, 2025 at 11:00 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)

  • Oct
    1

    SPREE Seminar

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 11:00 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)