NSF Newsletter 6.24.22
June 2022 Application deadline for CESR Life Cycle Assessment Course extended through July 13th; Northwestern University adopts new investment guidelines taking greater account of associated energy usage
CESR to Hold Life Cycle Assessment Workshop August 9-11th
June 2022 Graduate students encouraged to apply
Strengthening the Power Grid for a More Sustainable Future
June 2022 With r-Box, Michael Jewett and collaborators widen the possibilities for fuel biosynthesisAndreas Waechter and Ermin Wei are designing new ways for power systems to cope with complex inputs
from Engineering News
Building a Sustainable Energy Development Pipeline
June 2022 With r-Box, Michael Jewett and collaborators widen the possibilities for fuel biosynthesis
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter 6.10.22
June 2022 CESR Announces Life Cycle Assessment Workshop August 9-11th; Building a Sustainable Development Pipeline; Strengthening the Power Grid for a More Sustainable Future
Advances in Carbon Fixation May Hold Key to Better Crop Yields
May 2022 Modeling of efficient concentration mechanisms in algae could translate to development of faster-growing food crops
from Engineering News
Sustainability Poster Session Highlights Achievements of CESR Seed Grant Projects
May 2022 The May 17th session provided a forum for 16 research groups to discuss their existing research and build future collaboration opportunities
CESR Newsletter 5.27.22
May 2022 Sustainability Poster Session brings together 16 presenting groups; faster crop growth through carbon fixation; seminars and funding opportunities
CESR Newsletter 5.13.22
May 2022 CESR Sustainability Poster Session on Tuesday, May 17th, Northwestern Receives Top Sustainability Designation
Building Towards a Circular Bioeconomy
April 2022 Panel discussion highlights takeaways and next steps from fall UIDP conference
from UIDP
Untangling the Knot of Thermoset Recycling
April 2022 Dynamic bonding holds the key to reusing the common plastic
from Physics
CESR Newsletter 4.29.22
April 2022 Sustainability Lecture Series Scheduled for May 26th; Advances in Thermoset Recycling; Steps Towards a Circular Bioeconomy
Muzhou Wang's Paper Named Cozzarelli Award Finalist
April 2022 The paper advances new techniques for non-invasive polymer imaging
from Engineering News
Lucks Lab Unlocks the Secrets of RNA Switches
April 2022 Simulation allows new insights into gene expression
from Engineering News
Nacre Defect Mapping a Step Towards a Greener Future
April 2022 Identifying and eliminating material defects could be key for carbon sequestration
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter 4.15.22
April 2022 Nacre mapping for more durable carbon capture, RNA switches key to activation and deactivation of gene expression, Cozzarelli Award finalist announced from Northwestern
New Upcycling Process Promises Dramatic Shift in Polyester Recovery
April 2022 Polymer coating allows polyester-eating enzyme to survive the heat of the recycling process, allowing for more sustainable reuse of common plastics
from Northwestern Now
CESR Newsletter 4.1.22
April 2022 CESR Sustainability Poster Session on May 17th, New Methods for Recycling Polyester
Josiah Hester Receives NSF CAREER Award
March 2022 The award supports Hester’s ongoing innovations in battery-free computing development
from Engineering News
Linsey Seitz Receives NSF CAREER Award
March 2022 The award supports Seitz’s development of catalysts for hydrogen extraction from water, allowing for more sustainable processing of fuels and chemicals
from Engineering News
Gas Fermentation Shows Promise for Harnessing Waste CO2
March 2022 The newly published recycling process transforms waste carbon into valuable industrial chemicals
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter 3.11.22
March 2022 CESR Undergraduate Research page is now accessible, Energy and Sustainability research highlighted in exchange with National Taiwan University, Michael Jewett harnesses waste CO2 for chemical production, Linsey Seitz and Jonah Hester win CAREER awards
Assessing Water Quality with a Molecular Brain
February 2022 Adding a circuit-like genetic network allows for more complex assessment of contaminants
from Northwestern Now
Josiah Hester, Muzhou Wang Named Sloan Research Fellows
February 2022 Sloan Fellowships support exceptional early-career researchers in a range of scientific and technical fields
from Engineering News
Julius Lucks Elected to AIMBE College of Fellows
February 2022 Fellows make up the top 2 percent of medical and biological engineers in the United States
from Engineering News
Jian Cao Elected to National Academy of Engineering
February 2022 Among numerous accomplishments, the award honors Cao’s work in flexible, energy-efficient manufacturing
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter 2.28.22
February 2022 Jian Cao and Julius Lucks recognized as top researchers in their fields, Josiah Hester and Muzhou Wang named Sloan Research Fellows
Find Undergraduate Research Assistants Using the New CESR Project Database
February 2022 Our new posting site provides students and faculty with a centralized internal job board for sustainability-related research projects
Alessandro Rotta Loria Receives Curriculum Innovation Award
February 2022 Using wireless temperature sensors buried in the Loop, Rotta Loria brings actionable real-world data to class
from Northwestern Now
Josiah Hester Receives Daniel I. Linzer Award
February 2022 The award recognizes Hester’s “tireless work to build a more diverse, inclusive and equitable climate…especially in a field in which women and people of color are underrepresented.”
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter 2.11.22
February 2022 Hester, Rotta Loria receive university awards; CESR offers job board for undergraduate research positions in sustainability
"Fitbit for the Face" Can Turn Any Face Mask into Smart Monitoring Device
January 2022 FaceBit can monitor wearer's health, sense heartbeat through face
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter 1.28.22
January 2022 "Fitbit for the Face" monitors healthcare worker safety using ambient energy sources; several conference and award opportunities announced
DOE Establishes New Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
January 2022 The announcement comes alongside several other significant funding commitments in the coming year
Microplastic pollution lingers in rivers for years before entering oceans
January 2022 Water dynamics can trap lightweight microplastics that otherwise might float
from Northwestern Now
Enabling commercial success of industrial biotechnology
January 2022 Keith Tyo and his collaborators identify major obstacles to continued success in the biotechnology sector, and how to begin addressing them
Understanding Cobalt's Human Cost
January 2022 While the benefits of green battery technology for emissions reduction are clear, a recent paper argues that the enormous associated human cost to mining communities must be addressed before these technologies can be considered clean
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter Issue #43
January 2022 Accounting for the human costs of green technology production; systemic obstacles and paths forward for biotechnology development; microplastic pollution a greater threat to rivers than previously believed
Infrastructure Bill Promises Sustainability Project Funding Opportunities in 2022
December 2021 Significant sections of the $1 trillion bill are dedicated to clean energy technology research and demonstration
Six CESR Affiliated Faculty Members Designated "Highly Cited Researchers" for 2021
December 2021 The list honors researchers who have had papers cited most frequently in the last decade
CESR Newsletter Issue #42
December 2021 Six CESR-affiliated faculty named Highly Cited Researchers for 2021; 2021 Seed Grant executive summaries now available
Shaping a Sustainable Future for a Common Plastic
December 2021 Team identifies new opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of polyurethane
from Northwestern Engineering
CESR Newsletter Issue #41
December 2021 A team including CESR's Co-Director identifies new possibilities for increasing polyurethane recycling; need for resilient global supply chain highlighted in Patterson Transportation Lecture
Is mass timber the building material of the future?
November 2021 The material may be carbon-friendly alternative to concrete in some construction projects
from PBS
Why we must make the Great Lakes ‘smarter’ to prepare for climate change
November 2021 Aaron Packman highlights the potential of big data in the fight against climate disasters
from The Chicago Tribune
2021 Seed Funding Awards Announced
November 2021 The four winning teams bring together collaborators from across the McCormick School of Engineering and beyond to foster innovative research
CESR Newsletter Issue #40
November 2021 Seed grants awarded to four teams to carry out innovative, high risk research through novel collaborations
Northwestern One Book Selection for 2021-2022 Discusses Climate Change and Sustainability
November 2021 'The Story of More' is an essential primer on climate change and mechanisms that drive it
from Northwestern Now
CESR Symposium Highlights Connection Between Climate Research and Business, Policy
November 2021 Professors Jennifer Dunn, Bill Miller, and Jeff Richards moderated sessions during the conference
from Northwestern Engineering
CESR Newsletter Issue #39
November 2021 November 8, 2021 Newsletter: Symposium panelists provided updates on the latest in technology development for addressing climate change
Our DNA is Becoming the World’s Tiniest Hard Drive
October 2021 Researchers propose promising faster method for recording data to DNA
from Engineering News
Northwestern Team Among First to Visualize Polymers in Actual Material
October 2021 Researchers used super-resolution optical microscopy
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter Issue #38
October 2021 October 15, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #37
October 2021 October 1, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter #36
September 2021 September 17, 2021 Newsletter
Hester Named 2021 Most Promising Engineer or Scientist by AISES
September 2021 Hester is working toward a sustainable future for computing influenced by his Native Hawaiian heritage
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter #35
September 2021 September 3, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter #34
August 2021 August 20, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #33
August 2021 August 6, 2021 Newsletter
Hani Mahmassani, Transportation Center Driving Supply Chain Innovation
July 2021 During the pandemic – one of the greatest supply-chain challenges in recent history – Hani Mahmassani, the William A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern Engineering, has been making important contributions by working with industry on new ideas to efficiently move products, including COVID-19 vaccines, while explaining it all in plain terms to the general public.
Novel Method Enables Enormous Datasets of Mechanical Properties in the Era of AI and Machine Learning
July 2021 New work from an interdisciplinary group of Northwestern Engineering researchers could make adhesive materials development quicker and more efficient. Led by primary investigator Muzhou Wang, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering, the team created a simple, inexpensive, and colorimetric characterization method for adhesive strength in soft materials that can run thousands of samples at the same time. The method can characterize a wide range of materials, including both synthetic and biomaterials, with the testing environment easily tuned.
from Engineering News
Ehmann Receives SME’s Taylor Medal
July 2021 Northwestern Engineering's Kornel Ehmann, professor of mechanical engineering, has received the 2021 Frederick W. Taylor Research Medal from the SME, previously known as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The Taylor Medal is the highest honor given by SME to a researcher in the broad manufacturing field.
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter Issue #32
July 2021 July 23, 2021 Newsletter
COVID-19 PCR Tests Can Be Freeze Dried
July 2021 Northwestern Engineering researchers have discovered that commercially available PCR tests can withstand the freeze-drying process, making them shelf-stable for up to 30 days and 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) without sacrificing sensitivity and accuracy. The researchers found that the testing reagents could be pre-mixed with a standard preservative, freeze-dried and then distributed and stored at room temperatures. When the test is needed, health care workers then add water to rehydrate the test for immediate use. “At different points in time, the COVID-19 pandemic nearly broke our health care system,” said the McCormick School of Engineering’s Michael Jewett, who led the study. “With our strategy, we can eliminate the need for cold-chain shipping and reduce labor costs needed for on-site mixing of diagnostic reagents. It would be extremely gratifying if this could allow testing to be developed and deployed much more broadly around the globe.”
from Engineering News
New Material Captures Air-borne Droplets
July 2021 Although plexiglass barriers are seemingly everywhere these days — between grocery store lanes, around restaurant tables, and towering above office cubicles — they are an imperfect solution to blocking virus transmission. Instead of capturing virus-laden respiratory droplets and aerosols, plexiglass dividers merely deflect droplets, causing them to bounce away but remain in the air. To enhance the function of these protective barriers, Northwestern Engineering researchers have developed a new transparent material that can capture droplets and aerosols, effectively removing them from air. “Droplets collide with indoor surfaces all the time,” said Northwestern’s Jiaxing Huang, the study’s senior author. “Right now, plexiglass dividers are deviating devices; they deflect droplets. If a surface could actually trap droplets, then every single droplet effectively removed from indoor air would be a successful elimination of a potential source of transmission.”
from Engineering News
New ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Cleans Up Water Pollution
July 2021 Ecologists and engineers traditionally have developed tactics to address the mounting environmental and public health concerns around phosphate by eliminating phosphate from water sources. Only recently has the emphasis shifted away from removing to recovering phosphate. "One can always do certain things in a laboratory setting,” said Vinayak Dravid, the study’s corresponding author. “But there’s a Venn Diagram when it comes to scaling up, where you need to be able to scale the technology, you want it to be effective and you want it to be affordable. There was nothing in that intersection of the three before, but our sponge seems to be a platform that meets all these criteria.” Dravid is the Abraham Harris Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, the founding director of the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE), and director of the Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental Resource (SHyNE). Dravid also serves as the director of global initiatives for Northwestern’s International Institute of Nanotechnology. Ribet is a PhD student in Dravid’s lab and the paper’s first author.
from Engineering News
Novel Smart Cement Can Be Used to Build More Durable Roads and Cities
July 2021 With cement being the most widely consumed material globally and the cement industry accounting for eight percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, Ange-Therese Akono, the lead author on the study and an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering, turned to nanoreinforced cement to look for a solution. Akono said nanomaterials reduce the carbon footprint of cement composites, but until now, little was known about its impact on fracture behavior. “The role of nanoparticles in this application has not been understood before now, so this is a major breakthrough,” Akono said. “As a fracture mechanics expert by training, I wanted to understand how to change cement production to enhance the fracture response.”
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter Issue #31
July 2021 July 9, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #30
June 2021 June 25, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #29
June 2021 June 11, 2021 Newsletter
Kyoo-Chul Kenneth Park has been selected as a winner of the sixth Hanwha Non-Tenure Faculty Award by the Hanwha Group
June 2021 Hanwha’s Non-Tenured Faculty Awards program is designed to expand a range of research and development. The company’s award targets assistant professors with fewer than seven years of teaching experience in a field that’s relevant to advanced materials in subjects such as chemical engineering, chemistry, materials, and polymers.
from Engineering News
CESR Newsletter Issue #27
May 2021 May 14, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #26
April 2021 April 30, 2021 Newsletter
Jennifer Dunn Appointed to a National Academies Provisional Committee
April 2021 CESR Co-Director Jennifer Dunn has been appointed to a National Academies provisional committee for a new consensus study, Current Methods for Life Cycle Analyses of Low Carbon Transportation Fuels in the United States. This study aims to develop a reliable and coherent approach for applying LCA to low carbon fuel standards.
Assessment on Impacts of Climate Change to Illinois Foretells Serious Effects
April 2021 William Miller is Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Director, Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience and Aaron Packman is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and (by courtesy) Mechanical Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering and Director of Northwestern Center for Water Research. They are contributors to a first-of-its-kind local assessment led by The Nature Conservancy.
from Northwestern Now
CESR Newsletter Issue #25
April 2021 April 16, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #24
April 2021 April 2, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #23
March 2021 March 15, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #22
February 2021 February 26, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #21
February 2021 February 12, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #20
January 2021 January 29, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #19
January 2021 January 15, 2021 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #18
December 2020 December 18, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #17
December 2020 December 4, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter #16
November 2020 November 20, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #15
November 2020 November 6, 2020 Newsletter
Daniel Horton Joins Artist Andrew S. Yang for a Discussion on Effects of Vehicle Exhaust
October 2020 Vehicle exhaust is the single biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Illinois. New research by Third Coast Disrupted scientist Daniel Horton and his team looks at how broader electric vehicle adoption would cut emissions, and save thousands of lives and billions of dollars.
CESR Newsletter Issue #14
October 2020 CESR Newsletter Issue #14
CESR Newsletter Issue #13
October 2020 October 1, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #12
September 2020 September 15, 2020 Newsletter
‘Third Coast Disrupted’ exhibition brings CESR affiliated faculty and artists together to prompt climate change action
September 2020 Christine Esposito, Daniel Horton, Aaron Packman collaborate on an art exhibition focused on climate. September 8 - October 30 at Glass Curtain Gallery.
CESR Newsletter Issue #11
September 2020 September 1, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #10
August 2020 August 17, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #9
July 2020 July 31, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #8
July 2020 July 10, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #7
June 2020 June 26, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #6
June 2020 June 9, 2020 Newsletter
Julius Lucks featured in Chicago Tribune
June 2020 Research from the Lucks lab is cited in Chicago Tribune article regarding SARS-CoV-2 tracking via wastewater.
from Chicago Tribune
CESR Affiliated Faculty Named to Crain's 2020 Notable Women in STEM
June 2020 Linda Broadbelt, Associate Dean for Research, McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science, and Karen Smilowitz, James N. and Margie M. Krebs professor in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, were both named in this year's Crain's Notable Women in STEM. A list of 32 accomplished women represent different corners of the STEM world—science, technology, engineering and math.
from Crain's Chicago Business
Smart sponge provides inexpensive and efficient solution to clean oil spills without disrupting marine life
May 2020 Led by Vinayak Dravid, Northwestern team develops smart sponge with an ability to absorb more than 30 times its weight in oil.
from Northwestern Now
Wastewater could provide up to a week of warning for a COVID-19 spike
May 2020 Aaron Packman quoted in new COVID-19 story in Science News, related to wastewater and data collection.
from Science News
CESR Newsletter Issue #5
May 2020 May 21, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #4
April 2020 April 29, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #3
April 2020 April 7, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #2
March 2020 March 13, 2020 Newsletter
CESR Newsletter Issue #1
February 2020 The CESR inaugural newsletter
Buffett Institute for Global Affairs awards $150,000 in support to ‘Idea Incubation Workshop’ project
November 2019 The Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs awarded an estimated $150,000 in support to an innovative global research project — “Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges”— after hosting the institute’s inaugural “Idea Incubation Workshop” this month. from Northwestern Now
from Northwestern Now
Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience Hosts Workshop on Sustainable Urban Systems
November 2019 This workshop was organized by Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago, and many other partners with support from NSF to address natural and climate, technological, and societal disruptions that will transform urban systems.
from Northwestern Engineering