Northeastern University College of Engineering

CommLab Drop-In Writing Hours
2024-06-03 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-06-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-06-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-06-24 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Graduate students, are you looking for a place for focused research writing time? Join the CommLab drop-in writing hours any Mondays from 10 am-12 pm ET. Drop in any Monday and stay for a short time or the whole two hours. CommLab Fellows will be available to provide feedback on your writing. We will be meeting in 13 International Village.

LeetCode Mock Interviews – CommLab Drop-In Workshops
2024-06-04 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-06-11 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-18 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-25 16:00 - 17:00
Join the CommLab any Tuesday from 4-5 PM for our weekly LeetCode Mock Interview Workshop via Zoom. This workshop is tailored towards programming jobs and prior coding knowledge is expected. Boost your LeetCode problem-solving confidence for interviews by building your speaking skills while solving programming problems.

Small Talk for Networking: CommLab Drop-In Workshops
2024-06-04 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-11 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-18 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-06-25 15:00 - 16:00
Join the CommLab any Tuesday from 3-4 PM ET for our weekly Small Talk for Networking Drop-In Workshop in room 13 International Village or virtually through Zoom. This workshop series will offer you the ability to practice techniques and use essential tools to improve your conversational skills and connect with others at networking events.

LinkedIn, CV, Resume: CommLab Drop-In Workshops
2024-06-05 14:00 - 15:00
Join the CommLab’s empowering LinkedIn, CV, and Resume Drop-In Workshops any Wednesday from 2 pm to 3 pm ET. This collaborative space offers valuable advice and peer feedback to enhance your online profile and professional presence. Join this hybrid workshop series either in person in room 13 International Village or through Zoom.

Mock Interview: CommLab Drop-In Workshops
2024-06-06 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-06-13 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-20 16:00 - 17:00
Join the CommLab any Thursday from 4-5pm ET, we’ll delve into the intricacies of interviews, unveiling effective preparation strategies for any interview scenario. Engage in an interactive setting as we dissect the overall interview experience, discuss common interview scenarios, and share insights on what to do during critical moments. Join this hybrid workshop series through Zoom.

Poster Design and Presentation: CommLab Drop-In Workshops
2024-06-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2024-06-13 17:00 - 18:00, 2024-06-20 17:00 - 18:00
The CommLab will host drop-in workshops for poster design and presentation to focus on crafting the best visual communication of your research and telling your research story! We will discuss techniques and implement communication strategies to successfully showcase your work. No matter where you are in the process, whether it is just in the idea phase or you are trying to polish your final poster, we are happy to help you. Join us any Thursday from 5-6pm, on Zoom.

2024 Annual Symposium on Risks and Opportunities of AI in Pharmaceutical Medicine Generative AI in Medical Research & Drug Development: Hype or Reality?
2024-06-10 08:00 - 2024-06-11 17:00
June 10–11 | Boston, MA | Virtual and In-person on the Boston campus.
Faculty and staff can register with their northeastern email and apply the following promo code to get a 25% discount: NUStaff25. Registrations made without a northeastern email will not be valid. Register
How is generative AI revolutionizing pharmaceutical science?
Generative AI is transforming the way industries operate—and life sciences is no exception. Are you ready to cut through the hype and learn more about the technology transforming the world? The Symposium on Risks and Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in Pharmaceutical Medicine (AIPM) provides a forum for major stakeholders looking to explore pressing challenges related to the use of generative AI in pharmaceutical science—and its myriad implications for public health policy.
This is a valuable opportunity for statisticians, data scientists, regulators, and other professionals to:

Explore the challenges and opportunities of AI in pharmaceutical medicine
Collaborate and build connections with professionals from industry, academia, and regulatory agencies
Acquire a deeper understanding of the policy implications of implementing AI in the promotion of public health

Global Network Update: Fireside Chat with Gregory D. Abowd
2024-06-12 11:30 - 12:30
Senior Vice President Mary Ludden cordially invites you to the Global Network Update.
Northeastern’s College of Engineering offers more than 65 degree programs—preparing students to address the ever-evolving complexities of the world. Nearly all of our global campuses across the U.S. and Canada currently partner with the college to deliver graduate programs such as data science, information systems, and more. And at our London and Oakland campuses, you will also find their undergraduate Global Scholar students.
Our June event features a fireside chat with Gregory Abowd, Dean of the College of Engineering, who will offer insights about the college’s programs, research, and industry partnerships. Join us to learn more about his team’s upcoming initiatives and how they are partnering with our campuses in the global university system.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024
11:30 AM- 12:30 PM EDT
8:30-9:30 AM PDT
4:30-5:30 PM London
*Click here to register and to join the event virtually.
In-person location: 216 Massachusetts Ave, 3rd Floor – Boston, MA

LinkedIn, CV, Resume: CommLab Drop-In Workshops
2024-06-12 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-06-19 16:00 - 17:00
Join the CommLab’s empowering LinkedIn, CV, and Resume Drop-In Workshops any Wednesday from 4 pm to 5 pm ET. This collaborative space offers valuable advice and peer feedback to enhance your online profile and professional presence. Join this workshop series through Zoom.

ChE PhD Dissertation Defense: Ian Smith
2024-06-13 09:00 - 11:00
PhD Dissertation Defense: A Primary Intestinal Model to Assay Lymphatic Drug Transport
Ian Smith
Location: Dodge Hall 070 & Zoom
Abstract: Lipophilic drugs (logP > 5) often fail to develop as commercial oral medications due to poor absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and/or toxicity (ADMET) properties. Beyond-rule-of-5 (bro5) candidate attrition in the clinic may be relieved by targeted delivery to chylomicrons (CMs) as chaperones into the mesenteric lymphatics. Lymph-cannulated animal models that estimate lymphatic bioavailability (F%) are surgically challenging, costly and highly variable between species. In vitro models of the human intestinal epithelium can preserve enterocyte-like CM assembly and thereby recapitulate on the benchtop drug intercalation with CM components during transcytosis (i.e. the “lymphatic permeability” mechanism). This thesis proposes primary small intestinal epithelia as alternative platforms to the Caco-2 Transwell® culture for assaying lymphatic drug transport.
Primary monolayers cultured from small intestinal enteroids were investigated for CM synthesis, secretion, and transport of lymphotropic small molecules. The specific aims were to: 1) establish a mixed bile micelle formulation compatibile with primary cultures, 2) develop a first-principle mathematical description of poorly water-soluble drug (PWSD) partitioning and uptake from lipid-containing micelles, 3) characterize apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoprotein secretion from primary cultures along an oleic acid (OA)/2-monoloein (2-MO) stimulation axis, and 4) compare CM-transported drug in culture to lymph-cannulated F% estimations. Exposure of mixed bile micelles containing 4:1 taurocholate (TC) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) to the brush border membrane of human duodenum (hDuo) and Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-cultures (Co-C) compromised tight junctional resistance and paracellular permeability in Co-C above 5 mM TC whereas hDuo were unaffected. Permeability measurements in the Co-C monolayer showed PWSD transport from TC/PC micelles to be reasonably predicted by changes in the apical (i.e. lumen-side) free or total drug concentration (CD,free or CD,total), but extent of fatty acid (FA)-induced supersaturation was limited by lipo-toxicity. Over a time course aligned to the window of lymph triglyceride (TG) turnover in vivo (i.e. 6 hours), controlled 2-monooloein (2-MO) stimulation of hDuo and murine ileum (mIle) monolayers induced significant increases in TG mass (~3.5-fold) and particle diameter (Dh) (~2-fold) of  < 1.006 g/mL lipoproteins. Primary enterocytes upregulated mgat2 transcription in the presence of 2-MO substrate to indicate that TG output in these FBS-differentiated cultures engaged the sn-1,2-monoglyceride (2-MG) re-esterification pathway. Organoid cultures also favored basal-polarized apoB-48 release distinct from the bidirectional apoB-100 output of Caco-2. Finally, apparent permeability of halofantrine (Hf; logP 7.34; BCS Class II) and navitoclax (Nx; logP 7.93; BCS Class IV) in CMs secreted from mIle but not Caco-2 were increased from TC/PC control conditions by inclusion of +OA/2-MO in micelles. For Hf, the fraction of dose absorbed by CMs (faCM = 6.8 ± 0.9%) was similar to the fraction of dose transported into the lymph of cannulated rats (falymph = 5.5 ± 0.8%).
Development of an in vitro-in vivo correlation between lymph-cannulated animals and the primary transport assay developed herein might assist preclinical programs in translating lipid-based oral modalities to humans. Expansion of the organoid donor set (by species and small intestinal region), combinatorial probing of more lipid stimulation axes (by substrate chain length and saturation), and scaling of monolayer culture could refine the lymphatic assay into a high-throughput screen. Beyond a drug delivery context, de novo CM assembly in enterocytes that retain a native small intestinal phenotype enables closed-system study of outstanding questions regarding intestinal lipoprotein formation and dyslipidemia disease intervention.

Juneteenth Celebration
2024-06-13 11:30 - 15:30
Join us for this Juneteenth celebration, where there will be a time for education via a hybrid panel discussion, followed by a time of celebration at an outdoor festival.

Panel discussion 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (ET), in-person at The Cabral Center, John D. O’Bryant African American Institute and online. (Registration required; registration link coming soon at https://www.northeastern.edu/aai/ )

Outdoor celebration 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (ET), in-person, Centennial Common

Panel discussion: “Understanding the Reparations Movement”, offers an in-depth exploration of a critical issue in American history and its contemporary relevance globally, nationally, and locally.
Moderator: Dr. Régine Jean-Charles, Dean’s Professor Culture and Social Justice; Director Africana Studies
Panelists:

Dr. Deborah Jackson, Northeastern’s Reparations Research Team
Dr. Ashley Adams, Northeastern’s Black Reparations Project
Joseph Feaster, Esq., City of Boston Reparations Task Force
Elizabeth Tiblanc, Embrace Boston Harm Report

Outdoor Festival Celebration: 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Centennial Common will hold celebratory activities that include vendors of local black-owned businesses, musical performances, food trucks, and more.

Galante Luncheon Info Session
2024-06-13 12:00 - 13:00
Join us for the Galante Engineering Business Program Luncheon Info Session on Thursday, June 13th from 12 pm to 1 pm in Shillman 320. Features an overview, panel discussion, exclusive giveaways, and lunch! Please RSVP and email galante@northeastern.edu with any questions.

Business Lessons in Technology and Leadership
2024-06-14 14:45 - 17:45 | East Village, 17th floor, 360 Huntington Ave, East Village 17th floor, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Event for Faculty and Staff Only
Featuring Dunton Family Dean David De Cremer and Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov
Friday, June 14 | 2:45-5:45 p.m. | East Village Residence Hall, 17th Floor 291 St Botolph Street, Boston, MA 02115
Fireside chat between Dunton Family Dean David De Cremer and Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, followed by a panel of practitioners and scholars leading digital transformation.
Garry Kasparov is widely considered the greatest chess player who ever lived. He gained global notoriety for his matches against the world’s strongest computers, including IBM’s Deep Blue.

5th Annual Bioengineering Symposium
2024-06-20 09:00 - 17:00 | ISEC Auditorium, 805 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
Join us for the 5th Annual Bioengineering Symposium in the ISEC Atrium and Auditorium. Every year, our bioengineering PhD students present their work at the Bioengineering Symposium in the form of Oral Presentations, Poster Sessions, and 5-minute Presentations. All are welcome to attend.
Tentative Schedule:
9:00am: Breakfast and Welcome from Abraham Joy, Professor and Chair
9:15am: Keynote Address by Faculty member
9:45am: Oral Presentations by PhD Students
10:45am: Poster Session 1
11:30am: Oral Presentations by PhD Students
12:30pm: Lunch
1:15pm: Poster Session 2
2:00pm: Oral Presentations by PhD Students
3:15pm: 5-minute thesis competition
4:50pm: Awards

2024 ASEE Annual Conference
2024-06-23 - 2024-06-26
Join COE Graduate Admissions and the CHME Faculty at the 2024 ASEE Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon! Ask your questions about our graduate engineering programs across the U.S. and Canada during the conference from June 23rd-June 26th. We look forward to meeting you there!

Chemical Engineering Summer Sustainability Seminar Series: Ewa Marek
2024-06-24 12:00 - 13:00
Chemical looping for sustainable production of chemicals
The chemical industry is centred on the processing of crude oil and is responsible for the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emissions. Running industrial-scale installations requires huge energy inputs, employing high temperatures, pressures, and, often, explosive mixtures. The current industry is designed to work continuously, using cheap, petrochemical feedstock. Switching the starting point and moving from oil to renewable feedstock, whether it is bio-derived carbonaceous material, captured CO2, or renewable electricity, requires new decentralised and flexible operations, as all these resources are spatially distributed and available intermittently. Our work focuses on small-scale, dynamic processes, developing and employing new reaction and process pathways to produce key chemicals. This talk will present our work using a chemical looping approach where solid particles of metal oxides are the sole source of oxygen to catalytic reactions. In particular, I will discuss the chemical looping epoxidation (CL-E) of ethylene to produce ethylene oxide (EO) and chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation (CL-ODH) of ethanol to produce acetaldehyde.

Bio
Dr. Ewa Marek is an associate professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge and a fellow of Jesus College. She leads the Energy Reactions and Carriers Group, working on the production of value-added chemicals from intermittently available renewable feedstock and electricity, incorporating non-thermal plasma, ultrasounds and chemical looping to drive efficient, transient processes. This work led to 2021 Hinshelwood Prize and 2023 Energy&Fuels Rising Star Award for early-career academics. Before setting up her group, she was a post-doctoral associate in the Engineering Department, Cambridge, and earlier, she worked for six years on industrial R&D and advanced measurement methods in the UK, Netherlands and Poland. She studied energy and chemical processing (BEng, MSc) in Cracow and carbon capture (PhD) in Katowice (both in Poland).
Links
https://www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-ewa-marek
https://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/people/ewa-marek
