News & Events

Department Events

Events

• Feb

  19

  SPREE Seminar- Cyber-Physical Systems for Network-level Transportation Resilience- Huiying Fan

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Abstract: The increasing frequency of extreme weather events has led to rising network-level failures in transportation systems, such as the 2011 Chicago Blizzard, which trapped hundreds of vehicles due to the propagation of weather-induced congestion. Dr. Huiying ("Fizzy") Fan’s research explores how transportation systems respond to climate impacts at a network level, with the goal of developing cyber-physical systems that model network dynamics and support resilience and decarbonization. This talk will focus on resilience, integrating network modeling, high-performance computing, and multi-scale analysis to examine transportation resilience at three levels: cumulative exposure at the individual trip level, cascading failure at the network level, and tipping points at the multi-temporal level. Dr. Fan will also introduce her ongoing efforts in developing cyber-physical infrastructure for resilient and healthy navigation, incorporating weather-informed sensing, HPC-driven simulation, and AI-powered decision support through six core modules: conceptualization, sensing, simulation, prediction, mitigation, and decision support. Looking ahead, her work aims to equip travelers and agencies with theoretical frameworks and computational tools to navigate uncertainties and make informed decisions.

  Bio: Dr. Huiying ("Fizzy") Fan is a Research Engineer II at the Georgia Institute of Technology, an ICICLE Fellow at the NSF AI Institute ICICLE, and a Postdoctoral Researcher at IC-FOODS. She earned her Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from Georgia Tech, a Master’s from Duke University, and a BSc from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Her research lies at the intersection of transportation engineering, climate resilience, and data and network science. Dr. Fan examines the complexities of spatiotemporal transportation resilience, focusing on network-level dynamics such as trip-level risk accumulation, cascading failures, and tipping points that could lead to system-wide disruptions. Beyond theoretical contributions, she emphasizes practical applications by developing simulation software tools like SidewalkSim and TransitSim. Outside of research, Dr. Fan has held leadership roles in the Women’s Transportation Seminar’s Student Chapter and the Community and Ethics Committee at Georgia Tech. She has also contributed to education as a co-instructor and instructor of record for three courses, integrating her interdisciplinary research background into the classroom to foster an inclusive and dynamic learning environment.

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  TIME Wednesday, February 19, 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)

• Jul

  29

  CAE Seminar- Beyond Strength: Electron-Conductive Concrete for Energy Storage and Infrastructure- Franz-Josef Ulm

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Abstract: Concrete is renowned for its structural strength, yet cement production is responsible for nearly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. By incorporating small amounts of carbon black, however, concrete can be made electrically conductive, opening the door to functionalities far beyond structural support. Electron-conductive concrete (EC³) enables applications ranging from selfheating infrastructure and large-scale energy storage to the potential wireless charging of electric vehicles traveling on conductive roadways. This talk will introduce the fundamental principles underlying EC³ and highlight emerging applications of this multifunctional material. No background in electrochemistry is assumed. Instead, I will show how expanding the traditional concrete toolbox to include electrically conductive bulk materials fundamentally changes our understanding of what concrete can do. Rather than serving solely as a structural material, concrete can become an active component of future energy and transportation infrastructure—and part of the solution to a more sustainable built environment.

  Bio: Franz-Josef Ulm (Ph.D., Habil., Dr. h.c., P.E., NAE) is the Class of 1922 Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Trained as a structural engineer at the Technical University of Munich and the École des Ponts ParisTech, he joined the MIT faculty in 1999. He is the founding director of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub (established in 2009) and, since 2024, the founding director of the MIT EC³ Hub, which advances research and development on electrically conductive concrete and energy storage in concrete infrastructure.

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  TIME Wednesday, July 29, 2026 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

  16

  CEE Faculty Retreat

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  10:00 AM 1702 Chicago Ave

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's annual Faculty Retreat.

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  TIME Wednesday, September 16, 2026 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

  16

  CEE Department BBQ

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  4:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's annual Department Barbecue.

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  TIME Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Sep

  23

  Fall 2026 Classes Begin

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall 2026 Classes Begin

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  TIME Wednesday, September 23, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Oct

  3

  CEE Fall Career Fair

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  9:00 AM

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering's 2026 Fall Career Fair.

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  TIME Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

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  CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)