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  • Apr
    15

    CAE Seminar- From Cavity Expansion to Clinical Diagnosis- Tal Cohen

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    Abstract: The mechanical properties of biological tissues change over time and with disease progression. Quantifying these mechanical properties can thus be instrumental for medical diagnosis and for evaluation of tissue viability for transplant. However, it is exceptionally challenging to mechanically characterize soft and biological materials using conventional testing methods, especially in-vivo. In recent years, volume controlled cavity expansion (VCCE) has emerged as a powerful needle-based method for quantifying the nonlinear properties of soft materials in-situ. In this talk, after briefly revisiting the fundamentals of VCCE, I will describe the translation of VCCE into Digital Palpation (DP); a minimally invasive diagnostic tool offering a quantitative alternative to a clinician’s sense of touch. I will describe the application of DP for testing in human tissue and will focus on an ex-vivo study of 36 tests in freshly resected human thyroid nodules. I will show how data from this rapid and minimally invasive mechanical test enables separation between benign and malignant nodules of this highly prevalent cancer and can even hint at resolving oncocytic and follicular sub-types that routinely confound existing diagnosis methods. At present, up to one third of thyroid nodules cannot be decisively classified, leading to avoidable surgical removal of the thyroid gland. We hope that these results can, in the future, help to reduce the large fraction of thyroidectomies (40-70%) that ultimately prove benign and thus avoidable; potentially relieving patients from the potential life-long implications of surgical complications and hormone replacement, and paving the way for the diagnosis of additional diseases.

    Bio: Tal Cohen is an Associate Professor at MIT. She joined the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering in November 2016 and has a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She received both her MSc and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering at the Technion in Israel. Following her graduate studies, Tal was a postdoctoral fellow for two years at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and continued for an additional postdoctoral period at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Cohen is a recipient of the 2023 Eshelby Mechanics Award, she received the ONR Young Investigator award and the NSF CAREER award in 2020, and the ARO Young Investigator award in 2019. Earlier awards include the MIT-Technion Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship. Her research, which combines both theoretical and experimental tools, is broadly aimed at understanding the nonlinear mechanical behavior and constitutive sensitivity of solids. This includes behavior under extreme loading conditions, involving propagation of shock waves and dynamic cavitation, material instabilities, and chemo-mechanically coupled phenomena such as material growth. Among various contributions, Cohen’s research group developed the Volume Controlled Cavity Expansion

    (VCCE) method; a minimally invasive technique for measuring local nonlinear mechanical properties of soft and biological materials. VCCE is currently being applied in human tissue for disease research and diagnosis.

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    TIME Wednesday, April 15, 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)

  • Jun
    11

    Undergraduate Cocktail Reception

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    6:30 PM 1026 Davis St Upstairs

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

    LOCATION 1026 Davis St Upstairs   

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    CONTACT Andrew Liguori    andrew.liguori@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  • Jun
    12

    CEE Graduation and Recognition Ceremony

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    2:00 PM 1702 Chicago Ave

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, June 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM - 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)

  • Jun
    14

    Spring 2026 Commencement

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Sunday, June 14, 2026

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

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Jun
    15

    Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    9:00 AM

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, June 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

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    CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Jun
    15

    Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

    McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

    2:00 PM

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Monday, June 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

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    CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  • Jun
    19

    Juneteenth - University Closed

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, June 19, 2026

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

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Jul
    3

    Independence Day (observed) - University Closed

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

    EVENT DETAILS

    TIME Friday, July 3, 2026

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

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Sep
    16

    CEE Faculty Retreat

    McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

    10:00 AM 1702 Chicago Ave

    EVENT DETAILS

    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

    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

    TIME Wednesday, September 23, 2026

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

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar