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Department Events

Events

• Nov

  19

  TAM Seminar - Making Mechanics Quantum - Vivishek Sudhir

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  10:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  How precisely can we measure and control the motion of an object? Quantum mechanics gives a famously unsettling answer: the act of measurement inevitably disturbs the motion we seek to measure — this is the famous uncertainty principle of Heisenberg, theorized almost exactly 100 years ago. I will describe recent experiments that approach these limits using tangibly macroscopic mechanical oscillators, including the measurement and quantum control of motion of a kilogram-scale mirror, and of a centimeter-scale torsional oscillator. At these scales, quantum mechanics becomes a theory we can test with objects we can see and weigh—opening the possibility of asking whether quantum mechanics survives unchanged in the macroscopic world, and ultimately whether gravity itself must obey quantum rules, one of the pre-eminent problems of modern physics.

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  TIME Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Ezri Alfie    ezri.alfie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Nov

  16

  Regular registration for Winter quarter begins

  University Academic Calendar

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  Regular registration for Winter quarter begins

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  TIME Monday, November 16, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Nov

  18

  CAE Seminar - Fast Permeability Characterization of Geomaterials via Integral-Balance Method - Anh Nguyen

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  11:00 AM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Permeability is a key property governing fluid transport in geomaterials and plays an important role in subsurface energy technologies such as deep geothermal stimulation, geological CO₂ sequestration, and hydrogen storage. In low-permeability rocks, however, conventional permeability measurements such as the classical transient pulse-decay test can take days, making rapid and reliable characterization challenging. This research seeks to infer permeability from the early-time portion of transient pressure measurements using the Integral-Balance Method. The early-time pressure distribution within the rock specimen is first represented by an assumed profile function, and global mass conservation will be then enforced by integrating the governing equations over the evolving difusion front. This technique reduces the original system of partial differential equations describing the test to a system of ordinary differential equations, leading to a robust regression procedure for determining rock permeability from early-time pressure data. A laboratory test using Vermont serpentinite successfully validated the method. Further extension of the framework to field-scale diagnostic tests, such as pressure fall-off test, will also be discussed.

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  TIME Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Ezri Alfie    ezri.alfie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Nov

  20

  Dissertation, PhD Final Exam, and change of grade forms due to TGS for Fall PhD candidates

  University Academic Calendar

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  Dissertation, PhD Final Exam, and change of grade forms due to TGS for Fall PhD candidates

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  TIME Friday, November 20, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Nov

  20

  EES Seminar - Dynamic Rivers - Joaquina Noriega-Jimenez

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Investigating Stream Connectivity and Water Quality Across Space and Time

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  TIME Friday, November 20, 2026 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Logan Hart    logan.hart@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Nov

  25

  Thanksgiving Vacation begins at 6:00 PM (No classes, University offices closed)

  University Academic Calendar

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  Thanksgiving Vacation begins at 6:00 PM (No classes, University offices closed)

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  TIME Wednesday, November 25, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Nov

  30

  Fall Classes Resume

  University Academic Calendar

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  Fall Classes Resume

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  TIME Monday, November 30, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Dec

  4

  EES Seminar - Sensing Lead (Pb) with DNA - Garrett Dildine

  McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

  2:00 PM A230, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Sensing Lead (Pb) with DNA

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  TIME Friday, December 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

  LOCATION A230, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Logan Hart    logan.hart@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick - Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)

• Dec

  5

  Fall classes end

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  Fall classes end

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  TIME Saturday, December 5, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Dec

  7

  Fall Exams begin

  University Academic Calendar

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  Fall Exams begin

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  TIME Monday, December 7, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Dec

  12

  Fall exams end

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  Fall exams end

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  TIME Saturday, December 12, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Dec

  12

  Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Recognition Ceremony

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  4:00 PM Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  The ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 12 in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Circle Drive.

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  TIME Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

  LOCATION Pick-Staiger Concert Hall    map it

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Dec

  24

  Winter Recess Starts - University Closed Through January 1st, 2027

  University Academic Calendar

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  Winter Recess Starts - University Closed Through January 1st, 2027

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  TIME Thursday, December 24, 2026

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Jan

  4

  Winter classes begin

  University Academic Calendar

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  Winter classes begin

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  TIME Monday, January 4, 2027

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

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar