Penn Engineering Events

BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Engineering Novel High-Resolution Bioelectronic Interfaces from MXene Nanomaterials" (Brendan Murphy)
2021-08-24 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
The Department if Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Drs. Brian Litt and Flavia VItale are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Brendan Murphy.

Title: Engineering Novel High-Resolution Bioelectronic Interfaces from MXene Nanomaterials
Date: August 24, 2021
Time: 3:00pm

The public is welcome to attend via Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9948619859

Launching into SEAS: Underrepresented @ Penn Engineering
2021-08-28 13:00 - 14:00 | PA
Launching into SEAS: Underrepresented @ Penn Engineering
Date: Saturday, August 28th
Time: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Skirkanich Hall – Berger Auditorium
Are you eager to get involved in the SEAS community? Interested in learning more about minority student organizations? Want to meet upperclassmen and fellow engineering students?
Join the Underrepresented Student Advisory Board in Engineering (USABE) and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) in an NSO preceptorial panel featuring upperclassmen from identity organizations in SEAS. Participants will gain insightful advice on navigating their first semester in SEAS and learn about resources to support their academic, professional, and social development. Grab-and-go lunch will be provided at the end of the event!
Register for the event here. Please reach out to Shriya Karam and/or Fahmida Lubna for more information.

BE Doctoral Dissertation: "Biophysical dynamics of RGS-LOV proteins as systems for light-induced membrane recruitment" (Ivan Kuznetsov)
2021-08-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Room 307, Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and
Dr. Brian Chow are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Ivan Kuznetsov.
Title: Biophysical dynamics of RGS-LOV proteins as systems for light-induced membrane recruitment
Date: August 30, 2021
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Levine 307 and via zoom at the link below:

https://upenn.zoom.us/j/93272141232?pwd=[REDACTED]
Abstract:
Light–oxygen–voltage sensitive (LOV) domains represent a ubiquitous family of blue-light photoreceptors. Recently, we reported BcLOV4, a LOV protein from B. cinerea, which demonstrates a light-induced protein-lipid interaction with the plasma membrane. Previous work demonstrated preliminary characterization of BcLOV4 but stopped short of demonstrating its applications as an optogenetic tool. Here, we report a 3D non-linear finite element model of the cell-wide spatiotemporal dynamics of BcLOV4 membrane recruitment. Inputs were data from single cells unique in morphology and initial absolute protein concentration, as opposed to fitting an idealized cell to population data. All necessary BcLOV4 biophysical parameters were measured with recombinant protein or in HEK cells. The model outperforms existing (2D and/or linear) approaches and recapitulates observed complexities, including cell-geometric effects on recruitment efficiency and inter-instrument diffractive effects. It also highlights underappreciated determinants of signaling magnitude, contrast, and spatial confinement – such as the nonlinearity introduced by finite membrane-binding sites, outsized role of rebinding kinetics, and impact of excitation volume on the signaling impulse response. By capturing both intrinsic biophysical contributions of the optogenetic tools and extrinsic contributions of the optical hardware, this framework improves understanding of how to spatiotemporally shape signaling.
The biophysical and computational study of BcLOV4 suggest that it has great utility as a generalizable modality for optogenetic tool development. We leverage this to construct a multitude of BcLOV4-based tools, focusing primarily on Rho GTPases, specifically Rac1 and RhoA. We demonstrate that these tools can generate physiologically relevant downstream signaling, including cell motility and, in the case of RhoA, YAP-TEAD-dependent transcriptional activity. This work sets the groundwork for a BcLOV4-based optogenetic toolkit for accurate dissection of mechanotransduction.

PSOC Webinar: Kuangzheng (Peter) Zhu
2021-08-30 12:00 - 12:30 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
Zoom Meeting Waiting Room (email discher@seas for entry)

https://upenn.zoom.us/j/95100409935?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 951 0040 9935
Passcode: [REDACTED]

PSOC@Penn Summer Webinars 2021
Contact manu@seas.upenn.edu with any questions

ODEI Spotlight: SAC Fall Activities Fair
2021-08-31 12:00 - 16:00 | PA
This is an opportunity to get to know more about the many undergraduate student organizations that exist at Penn. In addition to the in-person events being hosted 8/31-9/2, groups will be available to connect virtually from 6-8pm these same days via PennClubs.com.

ODEI Spotlight: SAC Fall Activities Fair Day 2
2021-09-01 12:00 - 16:00 | PA
This is an opportunity to get to know more about the many undergraduate student organizations that exist at Penn. In addition to the in-person events being hosted 8/31-9/2 on College Green, groups will be available to connect virtually from 6-8pm these same days via PennClubs.com.

BE Doctoral Dissertation: "Adaptation of Maternal Skeletal Mechano-responsiveness, Osteocyte Microenvironment, and Bone Marrow Adipocytes in Response to Reproduction and Lactation" (Yihan Li)
2021-09-01 13:00 - 15:00 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. X. Sherry Liu are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Yihan Li.

Title: “Adaptation of Maternal Skeletal Mechano-responsiveness, Osteocyte Microenvironment, and Bone Marrow Adipocytes in Response to Reproduction and Lactation”

Date: September 1, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM
The public is welcome to attend via the Zoom link below:
https://upenn.zoom.us/j/7602733549

MSE Thesis Defense: "An In Situ Study of Resistance Degradation and Switching of Bulk Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia and Strontium Titanate Single Crystals"
2021-09-01 16:00 - 17:00 | PA

ODEI Spotlight: SAC Fall Activities Fair Day 3
2021-09-02 12:00 - 16:00 | PA

BE Doctoral Dissertation: "From '-omics' to biomarkers and mechanisms in Parkinson's disease: Growth hormone receptor and GPNMB" (Maria E. Diaz Ortiz)
2021-09-02 13:00 - 14:00 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Alice S. Chen-Plotkin are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Maria E. Diaz Ortiz.

Title: From ‘-omics’ to biomarkers and mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease: Growth hormone receptor and GPNMB
Date/Time: Thursday, September 2nd from 1-2 PM EST
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83054658861?pwd=[REDACTED]

BE Seminar: "Synthetic Biochemistry: Engineering Molecules and Pathways for Precision Medicine" (Michael Lin)
2021-09-02 15:30 - 16:30 | Moore 216, 200 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Update 9/2/21: Unfortunately due to the flooding in Philadelphia we will not be able to hold this seminar on campus. Check your email for the zoom link or contact ksas@seas.upenn.edu.
The most effective medicines are those that target the earliest causes of disease, rather than later manifestations. Engineering of biomolecules is a promising but underexplored approach to precisely detecting or targeting disease causes. I will present our work to develop a novel approach to treating cancer by detecting the signaling abnormalities that give rise to cancer. Interestingly, this effort involves biomolecular engineering at multiple scales: proteins, pathways, and viruses. I will also discuss how our work has translated serenditously to developing treatments for SARSCoV2.

MEAM Seminar: "The Role of Manipulation Primitives in Building Dexterous Robotic Systems"
2021-09-07 10:00 - 11:30 | Zoom – Email MEAM for Link, peterlit@seas.upenn.edu
In this talk I will illustrate four different perspectives that we as a community have embraced to study robotic manipulation: 1) controlling a simplified model of the mechanics of interaction with an object; 2) using haptic feedback such as force or tactile to control the interaction with an environment; 3) planning sequences or trajectories of manipulation actions to achieve long-horizon goals; and 4) using visual cues to guide manipulation actions. These are complementary perspectives, and building general dexterous robotic manipulation systems requires integrating them. I will discuss the key role that manipulation primitives play at integrating these perspectives. In particular I will present recent work on tactile dexterity to embed tactile feedback into the mechanics models of frictional contact, and on planning with visual affordances to execute dexterous long-term behavior on novel objects. I will illustrate this work in the context of a dual-arm dexterous robotic system.

CBE Seminar: "No Equations, No Variables, No Space, No Time: Data and the Modeling of Complex Systems”
2021-09-08 15:30 - 16:30 | Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Abstract
Obtaining predictive dynamical equations from data lies at the heart of science and engineering modeling, and is the linchpin of our technology. In mathematical modeling, one typically progresses from observations of the world (and some serious thinking!) first to equations for a model, and then to the analysis of the model to make predictions. Good mathematical models give good predictions (and inaccurate ones do not), but the computational tools for analyzing them are the same: algorithms that are typically based on closed form equations.
While the skeleton of the process remains the same, today we witness the development of mathematical techniques that operate directly on observations data, and appear to circumvent the serious thinking that goes into selecting variables and parameters and deriving accurate equations. The process then may appear to the user a little like making predictions by “looking in a crystal ball”. Yet the “serious thinking” is still there and uses the same – and some new – mathematics: it goes into building algorithms that jump directly from data to the analysis of the model (which is now not available in closed form) so as to make predictions. Our work here presents a couple of efforts that illustrate this ”new” path from data to predictions. It really is the same old path, but it is traveled by new means.

MSE Lab Safety Seminar
2021-09-09 12:30 - 13:30 | PA

BE Seminar: "Dynamics of 3D Cell Migration and Organ Formation" (Kenneth Yamada)
2021-09-09 15:30 - 16:30 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
This event will be held virtually on zoom – link coming soon.
Real-time microscopy of the dynamics of cells and tissues in 3D environments is opening new windows to understanding the biophysical mechanisms of complex biological processes. Direct visualization is allowing us to explore fundamental questions in more depth that include: How do cells migrate in 3D? How do cancer cells invade? How is the extracellular matrix assembled? How are organs formed? Visualizing how cells move and organize into tissues is not only providing descriptive insights, but is also leading to the identification of novel, unexpected physical and mechanical mechanisms relevant to tissue engineering. Cells can use varying combinations of cell adhesion to adjacent cells and to the surrounding extracellular matrix with localized cellular contractility to migrate, invade, and produce the complex tissue architecture needed for organ formation.

Technology, Business and Government Lecture: Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO, IBM
2021-09-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
You can view the recording of this event with this link: Zoom link

MEAM Seminar: "Soft-Matter Engineering for Robotics and Wearables"
2021-09-14 10:00 - 11:30 | Zoom – Email MEAM for Link, peterlit@seas.upenn.edu
Progress in soft lithography and soft materials integration have led to extraordinary new classes of soft-matter sensors, circuits, and transducers. These material technologies are composed almost entirely out of soft matter – elastomers, gels, and conductive fluids like eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) – and represent the building blocks for machines and electronics that are soft, flexible, and stretchable. Because of their intrinsic compliance and elasticity, such devices can be incorporated into soft, biologically-inspired robots or be worn on the body and operate continuously without impairing natural body motion. In this talk, I will review recent contributions from my research group in creating soft multifunctional materials for wearable electronics and soft robotics using these emerging practices in “soft-matter engineering.” In particular, I will focus on elastomer composites and microfluidic EGaIn architectures for highly stretchable digital electronics, wearable energy harvesting, and electrically-responsive actuation. When possible, I will relate the design and operation of these soft-matter technologies to underlying principles of soft matter physics and practices in controls and machine. In addition to presenting my own research in the field, I will also briefly review broader efforts and emerging challenges in utilizing soft multifunctional materials for applications in wearable electronics, bioelectronic interfaces, and soft robotics.

ODEI Spotlight: Career Services' 2021 Engineering Career Day (Virtual Career Fair)
2021-09-14 11:00 - 16:00 | PA
Calling all Penn Engineers, candidates in STEM fields and those interested in engineering and technology – you’re warmly invited to Engineering Career Day 2021!!
Organizations participating are seeking undergraduate and graduate degree candidates, postdoctoral fellows and young alumni for internships and full-time opportunities! When they register, they indicate the majors and academic levels of the candidates they’re hiring, as well as indicate the type of roles they have to offer and their status on sponsoring international candidates!
PLEASE NOTE: Student Registration begins Tuesday September 7, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET. Both large-group information sessions (30 minutes each) and 1-to-1 meetings between students and representatives from each organization (10 minutes each) will be available to attendees, but you MUST register in advance of the event (beginning at the above date/time), and select each group session and/or 1-to-1 session you’d like to attend. Space is limited based on how many individual representatives are offered by the organization (anywhere from 1 to 15 representatives per organization) It is to your advantage to be prepared in advance and register for your selected sessions as early as possible, for participation is first-come, first-served.
See these step-by-step details on managing your registration and signing up for sessions for additional information.
When you register for the event, update your Handshake profile completely as employers will be able to see it.
Be sure to complete all fields in your Handshake profile including job and industry interests.
To sign up for Group or 1:1 sessions, your profile privacy setting will need to be set to “Community” or “Employers”.
Because employers can set requirements on the following fields for eligibility to sign up for 1:1 meetings in the virtual career fairs, make sure that the basics are accurate: graduation date, school year, major, GPA and work authorization. Click on the pencil icon in your Handshake profile to make any necessary changes. Students who have not yet declared a major or concentration should feel free to add their intended choice. Since only one school automatically transfers into Handshake, dual degree students should manually add their second school. Note to transfer students, first-year graduate students, certain PhD students, and post-docs: If you don’t have a Penn GPA, put in the GPA from your previous institution or previous degree for the career fairs so that you are not screened out based on not having a GPA in the system.
Engineering Career Day is open to all Penn students served by the Career Services office. Please see the Career Services Policies page of our website for details.
For information directly from Handshake on how to best update your Handshake account and prepare for the event, including what you’ll want to understand about each step of the registration process, please see: https://support.joinhandshake.com/hc/en-us/articles/360049934274

CEMB Future Leaders Seminar: “Exchange of molecular and cellular information: A hybrid model connecting regulatory interactions with stem cell divisions in the root”
2021-09-15 11:00 - 12:00 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
Launched in May 2021, the Future Leaders in Mechanobiology is a monthly seminar series featuring up-and-coming leaders in mechanobiology–PhD students and postdocs from a wide range of fields, backgrounds, and institutions. By providing an international stage to share one’s work and opportunities to interact with researchers at all career stages, we aim to create an inclusive and valuable series for early-stage researchers and the mechanobiology community as a whole.
Register Here to access the Zoom Link and visit the CEMB website for more information.

CBE Seminar: "Design of Sequential Catalytic Solvolysis Process for Selectively Deconstructing Waste Plastics"
2021-09-15 15:30 - 16:30 | Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Abstract
Environmental plastic problems have recently arisen as a core subject of global debate and concern. Plastic products for multiple applications have risen from 1.7 million in 1950 to 368 million tons in 2019 and are projected to reach 1,800 million tons by 2050. Recycling plastics and enabling the circular economy are essential to mitigate the accumulation of plastic wastes. However, the grand challenge of recycling waste plastics is the heterogeneity of comingled plastic wastes, containing various incompatible polymers, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), etc., and additives and contaminants. This lecture will discuss the catalytic solvolysis processes that convert various plastics, such as polyesters, polyamides, and polyolefins, to value-added products such as monomers or hydrocarbon fuels and lubricants. Furthermore, a sequential catalytic solvolysis process, in which an individual polymer or classes of polymers in a plastic mixture is selectively deconstructed stage-by-stage, is designed. This novel process may enable a cost-competitive chemical upcycling method for processing comingled plastic wastes without laborious physical sorting.

MSE Seminar: "From Conducting Polymers to Conducting Molecular Search A Materials Science Pathway to the Perkin Medal"
2021-09-16 12:30 - 13:30 | Auditorium, LRSM Building, 3231 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
The Perkin Medal that Dr. Frommer is receiving in September cites her lifetime scientific accomplishments in electronically conducting polymers and atomic force microscopy. The reality is these are but two points on a continuum of using chemistry to reveal the molecular underpinnings of material properties.
This talk will take a path through studies to explore the evolution of her studies of materials and in-situ measurements of molecular interactions that lead to the control of matter on the nanoscale.
The thread that runs through these studies is using chemical understanding to document and manipulate material properties in the era of nanotechnology.
Diverse fields will be on the itinerary, from macromolecular solvation to 3D nanoprinting to data curation of the molecular universe.

BE Seminar: "Regenerative Engineering: Enabling Regenerative Medicine" (Guillermo Ameer)
2021-09-16 15:30 - 16:30 | Moore 216, 200 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
This seminar will be held live and broadcast via zoom – check your email for link or contact ksas@seas.upenn.edu.
Regenerative engineering is the convergence of advances in materials science, physical sciences, stem cell and developmental biology, and translational medicine to develop tools that enable the regeneration and reconstruction of tissue and organ function. I will describe how materials can be engineered to play a critical role in treating tissue and organ defects and dysfunction by promoting cellular processes that are conducive to regeneration. Applications of these materials to address the complications of diabetes and orthopaedic injuries will be discussed.

Fall 2021 GRASP Seminar: GRASP Research Overview – Day 1
2021-09-17 10:30 - 11:45 | Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
GRASP Lab Faculty confirmed presentations (where appropriate their presenters)…
Mark Yim – Welcome & Introduction
Pratik Chaudhari
Kostas Daniilidis (presented by Kenneth Chaney)
Eric Eaton
Dinesh Jayaraman
Dr. Vijay Kumar (presented by Steven Chen)
Marc Miskin
Michael Posa (presented by Matt Halm)
CJ Taylor

CEMB: Academic Job Search During the Pandemic
2021-09-17 11:00 - 12:00 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
The Center for Engineering Mechanobiology Trainee Leadership Council (TLC) presents a professional development event for graduate students and postdocs considering an academic career. We will talk with three UPenn alumni who have successfully navigated the academic job search during the pandemic. Hear what the search process was like and learn tips for your own search.

PICS Colloquium: "Protein dynamics and energy landscape engineering"
2021-09-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom – email kathom@seas.upenn.edu
Abstract: Experiments only reveal a few of a protein’s structures with the atomic detail required to rationally engineer mutations and drugs. However, a protein actually has a vast landscape of uncharted conformations that present untapped opportunities for manipulating its function. My lab is developing simulation methods, called Markov state models (MSMs), that provide unprecedented access to proteins’ energy landscapes. We are employing these methods to understand how proteins function, to identify “cryptic” drug binding sites, and to design new drugs and proteins. Importantly, we have also developed a suite of experimental techniques for testing our predictions. This highly general platform is enabling progress on numerous scientific fronts. This talk will focus on how we are using this platform to understand and combat viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and Ebola.

BE Doctoral Dissertation Defense: "Evaluating the Efficacy of Prone Position and Therapeutic Treatments in ARDS Lungs Using Computed Tomography" (Yi Xin)
2021-09-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Donner-Grice Auditorium
The Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Rahim Rizi are pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Yi Xin.
Title: Evaluating the Efficacy of Prone Position and Therapeutic Treatments in ARDS Lungs Using Computed Tomography
Date: September 17, 2021
Time: 3:00pm
Location: Donner-Grice Auditorium (HUP Dulles Building 2nd floor) and via
Zoom: https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/3123106143?pwd=[REDACTED]

PSOC@Penn Seminar: "Glycosaminoglycans Modulate Long-Range Mechanical Communication Between Cells in Collagen Networks" (Xingyu Chen)
2021-09-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Raisler Lounge (Room 225), Towne Building, 220 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Room: Towne 225/Raisler Lounge
For zoom link, contact manu@seas.upenn.edu.

Treeswift and the Penn Journey: From Research to Startup
2021-09-20 14:00 - 15:00 | https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96715197752
Treeswift is building the next generation of forest monitoring systems, providing forest stakeholders with precision data and analyses that are easily accessible and flexible. Treeswift’s services are used in carbon capture estimation, timber value estimation, deforestation monitoring, advanced growth forecasting, and forest management.
Treeswift makes complex forests easier to manage using robotics and artificial intelligence. This event is a talk and discussion by Treeswift CEO (and Penn CIS PhD student) Steven Chen on his experience of bringing academic research out of the lab and into the world.

PSOC@Penn Seminar: "Harnessing Biochemistry and Engineering to Visualize Metabolism" (Kayvan R. Keshari)
2021-09-20 16:00 - 17:00 | Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
Oncogenic transformation has been shown to have a dramatic impact on the metabolic state of the cell. Recent reports have demonstrated that specific alterations in oncogenes and signaling pathways results in increases in pathway flux as well as diversion of substrates. Moreover, there is an argument that changes in metabolism can directly affect cell fate and thus promote oncogenesis. Interrogation of these pathways in relevant systems has been hindered though by lack of technologies capable of monitoring metabolism. Hyperpolarized magnetic resonance addresses a fundamental limitation of MRI for interrogating metabolic substrates, sensitivity. Using this approach, endogenous metabolic substrates can be converted into imaging probes to follow metabolic reactions in living systems. Utilizing this imaging as well as a wide range of biochemical tools and engineering approaches, one can develop strategies to mechanistically interrogate metabolic flux. This talk will focus on the combination of such approaches, demonstrating the synergy of new probes and platforms, to reveal metabolic mechanisms as well as their translation to humans.

CBE Joint Seminar: "Harnessing Biochemistry and Engineering to Visualize Metabolism"
2021-09-20 16:00 - 17:00 | Wu and Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
ABSTRACT
Oncogenic transformation has been shown to have a dramatic impact on the metabolic state of the cell. Recent reports have demonstrated that specific alterations in oncogenes and signaling pathways results in increases in pathway flux as well as diversion of substrates. Moreover, there is an argument that changes in metabolism can directly affect cell fate and thus promote oncogenesis. Interrogation of these pathways in relevant systems has been hindered though by lack of technologies capable of monitoring metabolism. Hyperpolarized magnetic resonance addresses a fundamental limitation of MRI for interrogating metabolic substrates, sensitivity. Using this approach, endogenous metabolic substrates can be converted into imaging probes to follow metabolic reactions in living systems. Utilizing this imaging as well as a wide range of biochemical tools and engineering approaches, one can develop strategies to mechanistically interrogate metabolic flux. This talk will focus on the combination of such approaches, demonstrating the synergy of new probes and platforms, to reveal metabolic mechanisms as well as their translation to humans.
