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McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science NORTHWESTERN ENGINEERING FALL 2018 WATER IN CRISIS CONFRONTING THE GLOBAL ISSUE OF WATER INSECURITY. COLLABORATING TO FIND SOLUTIONS. CREATIVE SPARK In June, an Evanston campus parking lot transformed into an industrial scene as an Iron Pour event capped off a new course, “Leonardo, Geometry, and the Art of Manufacturing.” Offered by the Segal Design Institute, the class encouraged its 10 students to understand the historical, artistic, and theoretical underpinnings of everyday forms and processes. The goal: “To honor the makers who have come before us and those we are trying to be,” says Matthew Cummins, an adjunct lecturer who co-taught the class with David Gatchell, director of the Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) program. Photograph by Rob Hart 1 Northwestern Engineering Fall 2018 Section Name 1 “Engineering touches every part of campus and our lives, and our alumni go on to make a difference in fields as varied as artificial intelligence to medical devices. It is an exciting time to be an engineer.” GREETINGS FROM NORTHWESTERN ENGINEERING Lately, headlines cry out problems regarding water: too much This type of work inspires our students to aim for ever more in places like Florida, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico after ambitious targets. That is very clear at Design for America destructive hurricanes; too little in places like South Africa, Israel, (DFA), the Northwestern-based national network that addresses and Northern California after devastating droughts. Never has community-based challenges using the human-centered design it been so critical to study the vital fluid that sustains all life. process. This fall, DFA earned the prestigious National Design Award for Corporate and Institutional Achievement from the With our work at the Center for Water Research, faculty are Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. This honor puts designing, simulating, and integrating innovative materials DFA in the good company of previous winners, including and engineered bioprocesses into water systems. Led by Aaron Apple, Etsy, and TED. We could not be prouder. Packman, professor of civil and environmental engineering, our researchers collaborate with others from a variety of disciplines The breadth of work at Northwestern Engineering continues across Northwestern, a mindset so typical at our University to grow. You can see it in other stories in this issue, ranging and so necessary to solve such a complex issue. from teaching high school students the concepts of synthetic biology to collaborations with psychology to study personality As you will read in this issue, other McCormick researchers are types. Engineering touches every part of campus and our thinking beyond this planet. An interdisciplinary team is looking lives, and our alumni go on to make a difference in fields as to improve life on Mars—human life, that is. Led by Associate varied as artificial intelligence to medical devices. It is an Professor Gianluca Cusatis, the group created “Marscrete,” a exciting time to be an engineer. concrete developed from native materials in the Martian landscape which could be used to build homes with 3D printing technology As always, I welcome your feedback. on the Red Planet. Already, the work has received kudos from NASA. As with many technologies developed for NASA initiatives, think of the Gemini and Moon missions, I suspect that many of these new ideas may find applications here at home. JULIO M. OTTINO Dean, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science On the Cover Two PhD candidates check a water Northwestern Engineering is published by level sensor at Gensburg-Markham Prairie, working the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering to understand how the prairie responds to major and Applied Science, Northwestern University, rainfall events under a changing climate. for its alumni and friends. Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives Photograph by Alex Garcia © 2018 Northwestern University. and Marketing: Kyle Delaney All rights reserved. Managing Editor: Julianne Hill Produced by The Grillo Group, Inc. NORTHWESTERN ENGINEERING FALL 2018 4 NEWS 14 8 LAB NOTES 14 WHERE MATH AND BIOLOGY MEET 16 At the Center for Quantitative Biology, mathematical scientists collaborate with developmental biologists 16 SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY BASICS, BIT BY BIT New educational kits give school-aged kids access to synthetic biology 20 A WORLD WITHOUT WATER The Center for Water Research investigates water insecurity locally and globally 24 CREATING SPACE ON MARS 20 24 Northwestern Engineering adds life to potentially building homes on Mars 30 WHAT’S YOUR TYPE? Luís Amaral’s lab finds four clusters of personalities in data, challenging psychology’s paradigm 32 COMPUTER SCIENCE MOVES TO SEELEY G. MUDD BUILDING New space unites faculty and encourages collaboration 36 30 32 DESIGN STAR Design for America’s influence earns prestigious Cooper Hewitt National Design Award 40 HARNESSING THE POSITIVE POTENTIAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Alumnus Stephen Pratt uses data science, machine learning to rid world of waste 36 42 CLASS NOTES 49 BIG IDEA 40 New Center for Advanced Regenerative Engineering Launches Northwestern’s Center for Advanced engineering forward,” says Guillermo Ameer, Regenerative Engineering (CARE) officially CARE’s founding director and Daniel Hale launched this past spring with a bold Williams Professor of Biomedical Engineering mission and interdisciplinary mindset. and Surgery at Northwestern. The Center aims to create an ecosystem The Center has two immediate goals: that enables researchers and clinicians 1) to develop distributable, easy-to-use tools to regenerate tissues and organs for adult capable of regenerating tissues and organs, and pediatric patients. That effort specifically prioritizing the needs of surgeons began with CARE’s inaugural event, the and patients; and 2) to construct and support Symposium on Regenerative Engineering, a collaborative ecosystem for clinical imple- hosted at Chicago’s Prentice Women’s mentation of regenerative technology. Hospital in May. CARE will also educate and train entrepre- “This event brought together people of neurs and researchers skilled in regenerative significantly different backgrounds to engineering. Among its plans for accom- understand the type of transdisciplinary plishing this are fellowships, internships, collaborations and enterprise that are nec- sabbaticals, and a regenerative engineer- essary to move the field of regenerative ing club for students. 200 Number of attendees at the inaugural Central US Synthetic MICROGRIDS SYMPOSIUM TEAM WINS CLEAN ENERGY PRIZE AT RICE Biology BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION Workshop EXPLORES RENEWABLE ENERGY Northwestern Engineering student startup NUMiX captured the US FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Department of Energy’s Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP) In April, experts from academia, government, at the 2018 Rice Business Plan Competition in April. The $50,000 and industry gathered at Northwestern for the award will provide the team with funding for business development, Symposium on Microgrids: Renewable Energy commercialization training, and other educational opportunities. Microgrids for Sustainable Development. NUMiX launched earlier this year in the Farley Center for 47 The event examined the role of microgrids in Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s NUvention: Energy course. natural disasters, such as Hurricane Maria, NUMiX’s business includes a suite of sorbent powder products Number of and how to satisfy global power needs. capable of collecting metals from water. Such products could Northwestern Northwestern Engineering’s Eric Masanet be used to clean toxic metals out of industrial wastewater students delivered the opening talk in which he or recover silver in manufacturing processes for reuse. who attended the annual discussed microgrid opportunities in sub- Grace Hopper Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. “It was a surreal experience to win the Cleantech Prize Celebration, “These are the regions in greatest need of and a wonderful validation of the innovative technology the world’s technological progress and energy access,” we’re working to bring to market.” largest gather- Masanet says. “Renewable microgrids could KATIE KOLLHOFF NUMi X CEO, STUDENT IN MASTER ing of women be one solution that helps us decouple OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT (MEM) PROGRAM technologists growth from CO2 emissions.” 4 Northwestern Engineering Fall 2018 Music and Engineering Harmonize Shane Choi has a passion for music and be restored into playing condition, Choi Choi has created and sold about a a mind for engineering, something he began contemplating other uses for the dozen lamps. Initially, he dedicated paired together as a dual-degree mechani- antique-looking instrument. When he saw profits from each sale to local music cal engineering and trumpet performance images of lamps crafted from recycled teachers so they could purchase major at Northwestern. Now a master’s goods, Choi found his inspiration. instruments for students and provide degree student studying mechanical lessons. He also earmarked proceeds Working in his family’s garage, Choi taught engineering, he unites the two in a more directly for individual students to himself soldering and wiring basics and tangible way by converting discarded fund music camps or projects. More incorporated the trumpet valves into musical instruments into artistic and recently, Choi teamed up with Simple the design by lathing off the valve sections