News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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Sep3
EVENT DETAILSmore info
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Speaker: Ruohan Zhang
Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Northwestern UniversityPresentation Title: "What shall we work on? Challenges and opportunities for academic labs in the era of robot learning"
Date: Thursday, September 3 at 12:00 PM
Location: Tech B211 and Zoom
https://tinyurl.com/CRBSeminarAbstract:
In this talk, I will begin with a brief overview of my past and ongoing research in robotics and machine learning. I will then share recent findings and reflections on three questions: (1) What are the most exciting research opportunities for robotics researchers today? (2) What challenges do academic labs face relative to frontier industry labs, and where can academia still lead? (3) What research directions will my new lab pursue, and what collaboration opportunities do they open up?Bio:
Ruohan Zhang has received several paper awards or nominations from robotics conferences and workshops, including two CoRL best paper nominations (2022, 2023), ICRA best paper (2024), best paper nomination (2025), and multiple best paper awards at CoRL, RSS, ICRA, and AAAI workshops. He has also published articles in cognitive science journals such as Neural Computation and PLoS Computational Biology. He has served as a program committee member, reviewer, or editor for conferences and journals in machine learning, robotics, and cognitive science, including NeurIPS, ICCV, ECCV, CoRL, RSS, ICRA, IROS, CogSci, Frontiers, and the Journal of Vision.His research focuses on embodied AI, human-robot interaction, brain-computer interfaces, cognitive science, societal impact of AI and automation, and AI for art and design. The goal is to develop human-centered, human-inspired, and human-compatible AI and robotics.
TIME Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 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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Aug27
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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