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Department Events

Events

• May

  15

  SPREE Seminar Series- Understanding Heat Transport at Grain Boundaries Through High Resolution Imaging- Elenora Isotta

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  11:00 AM A236, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Abstract: Grain boundaries have a central importance for functional properties of materials. They can critically control thermal and elactrical transport, determining the performance of energy and electronic materials. In thermoelectric materials – promising for refrigerant-free cooling and waste heat energy harvesting – grain boundaries can be leveraged to suppress the thermal conductivity, but can also detrimentally suppress the carrier mobility. Grain boundaries are not all equal: they are associated to several degrees of freedom, and can come in multiple orientations, symmetries, and chemistries. Recent evidence suggests that some types of grain boundaries could be more beneficial than others for the thermoelectric performance. Despite the importance, we lack a clear understanding of how grain boundaries modify the microscale transport owing to the scarcity of local investigations. Usually the role of grain boundaries is inferred from bulk, effective measurements. However, understanding how grain boundaries impact transport locally is a crucial perspective to enable grain-boundary engineering for the next generation of high-performance thermoelectrics.

  In this seminar, I will introduce our recent work on thermal conductivity imaging of grain boundaries via spatially-resolved frequency-domain thermoreflectance. Measurements with microscale resolution reveal a suppression in thermal conductivity at grain boundaries both in thermoelectric SnTe and photovoltaic multicrystalline silicon. In contrast to conventional thermal modeling, which assumes that all boundaries are perfect scatterers and lead to uniformly suppressed thermal conductivity, we observe a non-uniform suppression localized within a few microns of a boundary. Furthermore, not all grain boundaries behave the same: misorientation angle, symmetry, as well as interface roughness and morphology are found to strongly correlate with the effective thermal boundary resistance. Extracting transport properties from microscale imaging can provide comprehensive understanding of how individual microstructural components work. In particular, it can advance the study of grain boundary phases - i.e. two-dimensional phases stabilized at the boundary and that can be controlled via thermodynamics - by correlating how thier local chemistry and structure impact functional properties. This development can improve our understanding of carrier-defect interactions, enabling the rational engineering of interfaces and materials microstructures for superior performance in energy and electronics.

  Bio: Eleonora Isotta is currently a Postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. She joined in fall 2022 and has been working on thermal transport in semiconductors, developing methods to perform thermal imaging of defects, with a focus on grain boundaries, together with Prof. G. J. Snyder and Prof. O. Balogun. She received her B.S. in Environmental Engineering in 2015 and M.S. in Energy Engineering in 2017 from University of Trento. In 2021, she received a Ph.D. in Materials Science from University of Trento, with a dissertation on the interplay between crystal structure and transport properties in thermoelectric materials. She then pursued a Postdoc at Michigan State University working on thermal transport and elasticity in thermoelectric materials. Her current research interests involve thermal transport, microstructure engineering, and materials for thermoelectrics and electronics.

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  TIME Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  LOCATION A236, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Aug

  14

  Undergraduate Quantum Summer School

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  All Day Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.

  This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.

  Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.

  Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.

  Register Now

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  TIME Wednesday, August 14, 2024

  LOCATION Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center    map it

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  CONTACT Dongyang Li    lidongyang@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Aug

  15

  Undergraduate Quantum Summer School

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  All Day Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC), funded by the Department of Defense — National Defense Education Program, is extending an invitation to underrepresented students nationwide (including military-connected students) to participate in a summer school focused on quantum technologies, to be held at Northwestern University. Join us for presentations by faculty and industry partners introducing quantum technologies, cutting-edge research areas, and related job opportunities particularly in the areas of national security.

  This effort aims to foster an inclusive environment that encourages participation from all corners of the academic community. Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 USD to cover travel and lodging expenses in Evanston, IL.

  Priority application deadline: May 15, 2024.

  Decisions will be sent by June 15, 2024.

  Register Now

  more less

  TIME Thursday, August 15, 2024

  LOCATION Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Dongyang Li    lidongyang@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• 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

  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

  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

  19

  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 19, 2024 at 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

  LOCATION Louis Room, Norris University Center    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)