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Events
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May14
EVENT DETAILSmore info
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Speaker: Lou Raizin, President and CEO, Broadway in Chicago
Title: “The Chicago Cultural Stadium”
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 1:00 PM CT
Location: Tech, Cohen Commons, 4th Floor
Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/ArtAndRobotics
Abstract: Broadway in Chicago President and CEO Lou Raizin will visit Northwestern to convene people from across the university to learn more about his vision for the Cultural Stadium in Chicago: where he imagines the possibility of linking art and engineering with a kinetic or robotics-related sculpture to inspire wonder in the Loop.
The Cultural Stadium reimagines downtown Chicago as a vibrant, inclusive arena of cultural life—where every street, bridge, and building becomes a stage. Inspired by the scale and spirit of a stadium, the concept brings culture to the forefront through art, live performances, and creative community spaces. With projects like the LaSalle Street transformation, it blends affordable housing, artist studios, and public exhibitions to make culture accessible and alive. This vision calls for structural shifts—zoning, funding, and public-private collaboration—to turn downtown into a bold, living showcase of Chicago’s creativity and diversity. A place where culture isn’t background—it's center stage.
Co-sponsored by McCormick School of Engineering, Arts + Engagement Initiative and Center for Robotics and Biosystems
Bio: Lou Raizin has over 40 years of experience in the entertainment industry. As a founder and the prime mover behind Broadway In Chicago, a joint theatrical venture formed in 2000, his leadership propelled the transformation of Chicago from a short-term stop on “the road” to the third most important city in the world for theater. Encompassing the five premiere theater stages in the city, Broadway In Chicago has presented over 400 productions, bringing an economic impact of over $750 million annually to the City of Chicago and State of Illinois and supporting more than 9,200 local jobs.
Raizin’s focus on economic development, tourism and the support of culture in our City has led to the creation and continued sponsorship of the annual League of Chicago Theatre’s Emerging Theatre Award and the Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. Mr. Raizin has been named one of Chicago Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans and is a tireless advocate for Chicago as a cultural destination, having served as the Board Chair of the Chicago Loop Alliance leading the organization in the creation of Pop Up Art Loop, comprised of over 14 galleries and as well as the installation of a number of major public art projects in the city including the lighting and music display along State Street.
Outside of Broadway In Chicago, Raizin’s focus is often at the intersection of arts, culture and economic development to create jobs in the city. He had long served as Treasurer for Choose Chicago and on the Executive Committee of Choose Chicago and is a Board Member of the Magnificent Mile Association. He previously chaired the Chicago Loop Alliance and the State Street Commission for multiple terms, served as a member of the Economics Club as well as serving as a director of a number of other civic and not-for-profit organizations. He founded and chaired the Board of LUMA8 (Light Up My Arts), the entity that produces the Arts In The Dark Parade and the River Walk Lantern Festival. Raizin also served as the catalyst for both the $12M permanent light art installation on the back wall of the Merchandise Mart and a digital platform for tourism.
TIME Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
LOCATION Cohen Commons, 4th Floor, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Alice Boone alice.boone@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Center for Robotics and Biosystems (CRB)
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Aug27
EVENT DETAILSmore info
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Speaker: Amy Kyungwon Han
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National UniversityPresentation Title: "Design and Application of Soft Robotics in Haptics, Gripping, and Medicine"
Date: Thursday, August 27 at 11:00 AM
Location: Tech B211 and Zoom
https://tinyurl.com/CRBSeminarAbstract:
Soft robotics enables safe and adaptive interaction with humans, delicate objects, and dynamic environments through compliant actuators, sensors, and mechanisms. This talk presents the design and application of soft robotic technologies for haptics, gripping, and medical applications, with an emphasis on compact, low-power, and application-specific solutions. Examples include an origami-based haptic device for remote manipulation, hybrid electrostatic mechanisms for handling deformable objects with reduced gripping force, and soft cardiac assistive technologies designed to operate under physiological constraints. Through these examples, the talk highlights how mechanism design and system integration can address challenges in actuation, sensing, safety, and compatibility, demonstrating the potential of soft robotics for safe and adaptive interactions across haptics, gripping, and medical applications.Bio:
Amy Kyungwon Han is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University. She was a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford and received a Ph.D. and M.S. from Stanford and a B.S. from Georgia Tech. Her research includes soft actuators, sensors, medical robotics, haptics, and manipulation. Prof. Han's awards include the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific, 50 Women in Robotics, Rising Star of RoboSoft, ICRA New Generation Star, and Best RA-L Paper Award. She serves as associate vice president of Technical Activities Board and as co-chair of Technical Committee on Haptics within IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.TIME Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION B211, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Vanessa Gutierrez vanessavg@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Center for Robotics and Biosystems (CRB)
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Sep14
EVENT DETAILS
lessEnjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free breakfast on the Tech East Plaza will follow.
TIME Monday, September 14, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
LOCATION LR2, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Andi Joppie andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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Sep22
EVENT DETAILS
lessEnjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free lunch on the Tech East Plaza will follow.
TIME Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
LOCATION Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Andi Joppie andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
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Sep23
EVENT DETAILS
lessFall 2026 Classes Begin
TIME Wednesday, September 23, 2026
CONTACT Office of the Registrar nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR University Academic Calendar