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February 2012 School Newsletter
by Farmus, Cristina D 10 Feb '12

10 Feb '12

Below is the February 2012 School newsletter. If you have any items you would like to include in future issues, please send them to me. Faculty and Student Recognition * Assistant Professor Bryan Boudouris, graduate students Coco Abbou Oucherif, Aniruddha Kelkar, and an MBA student from Krannert have qualified to compete as semifinalists in the Green Energy Challenge sponsored by the Department of Energy. Their team is named Power-by-Nano, and more details are at http://prf.org/news/purdue-student-entrepreneurs-enter-department-energy-sp… http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_e543b8e9-eabd-57d3-8bfc-6fac3c… * Assistant Professor Julie Liu has received a Scientist Development Grant from the American Heart Association. * Graduate Student Rasika Prabhu won the Best Graduate Paper scholarship award from the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society for her paper titled "Does a Sum of Hyperelastic and Single-Integral Viscoelastic Terms Describe Nonlinear Mechanical Behavior of Elastomers?" Staff Recognition * For the first time ever, our School submitted on time all the Personnel Activity Reports (aka PARs). A big "Thank you" goes to the Business Office for their effort in obtaining all the necessary signatures. Miscellaneous * Performance evaluations for staff are under way. If you are a supervisor, you need to initiate the evaluations through the Performance Review System at https://engineering.purdue.edu/PRS2. For other employees asked to evaluate a staff member, please take the time to complete the survey, the process takes about 5 minutes. * Our School has three faculty positions available; searches are underway for the following: o Maxine Spencer Nichols Chair (endowed position), to be vacated by Professor Delgass when he retires in May 2012 o Process System Engineering (any rank) o Catalysis (Assistant or Associate Professor) Upcoming Events * Hadley Lecture, sponsored by the Administrative Professional Staff Advisory Committee: Susan Bulkeley Butler, alumna, author, former executive, former Purdue trustee. Overview of her book "Become the CEO of You, Inc." 9-11 a.m. STEW, Room 302 * Distinguished Engineer Award, Kristi Anseth presentation and reception - February 24, 3.30 pm, Henson Atrium, Forney Hall * Purdue Engineering Week, February 19-25 * Graduate Colloquium, March 2-4, 2012 Best Regards, Cristina Cristina Farmus Administrative Director Chemical Engineering Purdue University 765 494 0027 cfarmus(a)purdue.edu<mailto:cfarmus@purdue.edu>

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FW: FRNY Pear Tree Replacements Coming
by Valley, Jeffrey L 09 Feb '12

09 Feb '12

FYI.............................. From: Staley, Don J Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2012 2:23 PM To: 'drowe(a)purdue.edu'; Stroud, Kristi L; 'rwduvall(a)purdue.edu'; Poer, Bruce P.; Cook, Joanna R Cc: Valley, Jeffrey L; Hickman, Juliet C Subject: FRNY Pear Tree Replacements Coming Good morning, I'm writing to let you know the Grounds Department will be removing the large pear trees along the southeast side of FRNY over Spring Break. Matching pear trees had to be removed from the front of ME in 2009 for a foundation waterproofing project. We took that opportunity to replant with evergreen and crabapple trees which will not block the windows as the pears did. We will install the same planting at FRNY this summer in order to restore the symmetry of Purdue Mall. Our arborists manage over 8,000 trees on the West Lafayette campus. We require construction projects to protect existing trees wherever possible and to financially compensate us for those which must be removed. We use those funds to replant hundreds of new trees across campus each year. Because of these and other efforts the National Arbor Day Foundation has awarded Purdue its Tree Campus USA designation. Please let me know if you have any questions and please don't hesitate to direct your building occupants' concerns to me. Thanks, Don Don Staley, ASLA, PLA<http://www.laprofession.org/>, LEED(r) AP<http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19> Senior Landscape Architect Purdue University 401 S Grant St West Lafayette, IN 47907-1694 (765) 494-3424 Fax: (765) 496-1579 Cell: (765) 586-5800

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Congratulations to Drs Korsmeyer and Mikos, ChE Alumni elected to NAE today
by Varma, Arvind 09 Feb '12

09 Feb '12

Dear Colleagues, I am delighted to inform that two School alumni were elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) today. Dr. Richard W. Korsmeyer (MS 1980, PhD 1983) is currently Global Head of Licensing, Worldwide Pharmaceutical Sciences and Senior Research Fellow with Pfizer. He has been a major figure in the development and commercialization of drug delivery systems. Specifically, he is the co-inventor of a method that permits delivery of a full course of the antibiotic azithromycin therapy with a single oral dose, which was developed into the commercial product, Zmax(tm). He has authored 65 publications and 25 patents. He is a member of the Connecticut Nanotech Coordinating Group, member of several journal editorial boards and a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). His citation reads: "For contributions to drug delivery formulations and medical devices." Dr. Antonios G. Mikos (MS 1985, PhD 1988) is the Louis Calder Professor of Bioengineering and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. In addition, he is Director of the Center for Excellence in Tissue Engineering at Rice University. Dr. Mikos' research focuses on the synthesis, processing, and evaluation of new biomaterials for use as scaffolds for tissue engineering, as carriers for controlled drug delivery, and as non-viral vectors for gene therapy. His work has led to the development of novel orthopaedic, dental, cardiovascular, neurologic, and ophthalmologic biomaterials. An author of over 420 publications and 25 patents, he has been cited more than 28,000 times. Dr. Mikos is the editor-in-chief of Tissue Engineering, the premier journal of the field, and serves on several other journal editorial boards. He is currently President of the North American Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society and has co-authored the premier textbook on biomaterials. His previous recognitions include the Founders Award of the Society for Biomaterials, AIChE's Alpha Chi Sigma Award and the Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award, and ASEE's Meriam/Wiley Distinguished Author Award and the Chemstations ChE Lectureship Award. He received our School's Outstanding Chemical Engineer Award in 2008. His citation reads: "For advances in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and drug delivery, including development of biodegradable polymers." Both Drs Korsmeyer and Mikos completed their PhD research under the direction of Professor Nicholas A. Peppas, a distinguished member of our School's faculty during 1976-2002. He is currently Fletcher Stuckey Pratt Chair in Engineering and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas-Austin. Best, Arvind Arvind Varma R. Games Slayter Distinguished Professor Head, School of Chemical Engineering Purdue University

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An interesting article about University teaching...
by Varma, Arvind 06 Feb '12

06 Feb '12

Dear Colleagues, I expect that you will enjoy reading the attached article about university teaching, from today's Chronicle of Higher Education... Arvind Varma

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FW: Webinar on Managing Asperger's In & Out of The Classroom
by Schirm, Veronica A 30 Jan '12

30 Jan '12

I received this last week and thought it was worth passing on. We have at least one undergraduate student in our program who has a formal Asperger's diagnosis. I suspect there are more that I am just not aware of. As staff, faculty, and grad TAs who come into contact with students, this might be helpful information. Veronica Schirm Undergraduate Program Administrator School of Chemical Engineering Purdue University Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering, Rm 1057A 480 Stadium Mall Drive West Lafayette, IN 47907 PH: (765) 494-0756 FAX: (765) 494-0805 vaschirm(a)purdue.edu From: Tippets, Jared N Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 3:17 PM Subject: Webinar on Managing Asperger's In & Out of The Classroom Colleagues, You are invited to attend a free webinar entitled, "Identifying and Managing Asperger's in the Classroom." This event will be held on Friday, February 10, 2012 from 1 - 2:30 p.m. in Mechanical Engineering Building, room 1009. This webinar is broadcasted by Innovative Educators and is being conducted by Dr. Brian Van Brunt. Here is the description of the webinar from their website: Identifying And Managing Asperger's in the Classroom Let's face it. There are some students we work with in the classroom that present a challenge to faculty. Professors increasingly are asked to assess for suicide, sort out what is disruptive and what is dangerous, as well as handle odd and strange behavior with a sense of grace and equanimity. These are not easy tasks for anyone. This presentation will address the issue of Asperger's, a developmental disorder with which a growing number of college students have been diagnosed. Students can request accommodations in the classroom but often they refuse to talk about their problem or ask for help. Moreover, each student has different experiences with the disorder. Dr. Brian Van Brunt will review the common symptoms of Asperger's disorder and discuss how these most commonly manifest in the classroom setting. Participants will learn referral and management techniques to assist the professor in providing these students assistance while meeting the required legal standard of ADA. Practical tips and advice to prevent stress and burnout that can occur when working with these students will also be presented. This presentation will be unique and practical given Dr. Van Brunt's personal experience both in treating students with Asperger's disorder in therapy as well as having taught for over a decade in various classroom settings. A special thanks to the sponsors of this webinar: * Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs * Student Access, Transition and Success Programs * Center for Instructional Excellence * Office of the Dean of Students * Academic Success Center * Counseling and Psychological Services We hope you can join us! Regards, Jared =================================== Jared N. Tippets, Ph.D. Director of Student Access, Transition and Success Programs Purdue University Engineering Administration Building, Room 212 400 Centennial Mall Drive West Lafayette, IN 47907-2016 Office: 765-494-2451 Fax: 765-496-6752 jtippets(a)purdue.edu<mailto:jtippets@purdue.edu> www.purdue.edu/SATS

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Diversity Presentation - January 26, 9.00-10.15 am in G140
by Farmus, Cristina D 30 Jan '12

30 Jan '12

Good morning, I want to remind you that there is a diversity presentation scheduled tomorrow during the regular seminar timeslot, from 9.00 to 10.15 in FRNY G140. Attendance is required for anyone who did not attend the fall diversity presentation on November 22, 2011. Our goal is to have 100% participation for each category: faculty, staff and graduate students. This seminar will be presented by Alvin Lee, Employee Relations Specialist, Purdue Human Resources. Please bring a pen, there will be an activity to complete for which you may win prizes. This seminar is part of our 2010-2014 Strategic Plan initiatives, with the goal to create an environment where faculty, staff and students are treated with respect and where superior teamwork is achieved. If you have any questions, please let me know. I look forward to seeing all of you there. Cristina Cristina Farmus Administrative Director Chemical Engineering Purdue University 765 494 0027 cfarmus(a)purdue.edu

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Business Office Recognition awards
by Madrid, Mary Anne 30 Jan '12

30 Jan '12

Dear Faculty and Staff, The College of Engineering Quarterly Business Office Recognition Awards are coming up on February 22nd. I constantly receive compliments from faculty on the great things the Business Office staff are doing. If you have had a great experience, please take time to submit someone for the Quarterly Awards. Below is how you can nominate: Individual Awards: "R.I.S.E." (Respect. Integrity. Service. Excellence.) · This was previously awarded as P.S.P or Professional Support with Pride. · This award should be given to someone who continually demonstrates the R.I.S.E. qualities. · $50 and a trophy are awarded. Above and Beyond · This award should be given to someone who has gone above and beyond for you or someone else in any situation. · $50 and a trophy are awarded. Team Award (Committees or Business Offices): You Rock! · This award should be given to a group of people who have demonstrated excellence in teamwork. · An amazing rock and lunch on the college for the winning team are awarded. Nominations should be sent via email to the College of Engineering Social Events Committee at ebosec(a)purdue.edu<mailto:ebosec@purdue.edu> by February 9, 2012 and include the following information: ü Name of nominee or team ü Name of the award ü A brief statement (300 words or less) regarding the following questions: · What has this person done or continues to do to deserve this award? · What positive impact did/does this have on you? · Why is this significant? The winners will be announced at our the College of Engineering Business Staff Quarterly Meeting on February 22, 2011 If you should have any questions throughout the nomination process, please let me know. Sincerely, Maryanne Madrid Business Manager School of Chemical Engineering PURDUE UNIVERSITY ph: 765-494-4071 fx: 765-494-4073

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FW: PETE's PALs Applications Due 2/24
by Bowman, Debra J 24 Jan '12

24 Jan '12

Dear Potential PETE's PALs Clinician My name is Kevin Andrew Richards and I am assisting with the PETE's PALs this fall. PETE's Pals is a physical activity and aquatics program for children with disabilities in the greater-Lafayette area. The program is coordinated through the Faith Community Center in Lafayette and will run for five Thursday evenings in March and April from 6-8 PM. As a service-based, non-profit program, PETEs PALs largely depends on the participation of Purdue University student-clinicians and their desire to volunteer. Each clinician is paired 1 on 1 with a special needs student who they work with throughout the five weeks of the program. For one hour of every session you would play games and do activities with your partner in the gymnasium at Faith and then in the second hour we take all of the children into Faith's zero-entry pool for about 40 minutes of aquatics instruction. PETEs PAL's has been coordinated out of the Department of Health and Kinesiology for the past several years and fills a sincere need in the community for physical activity opportunities for students with disabilities. Additionally, it provides opportunities for Purdue students to get hands on experience working in practical settings. Because of this, the program fulfills service requirements for many classes. If this opportunity sounds interesting to you, please see the attached application form which we will use to gather some background information relative to your experience so that we can best pair you with a child. To apply, please print off a copy of the attached application and return it to my office (Lambert Fieldhouse, Rm. 110). I have attached both .pdf and .doc versions. Students who have participated in the program in the past are encouraged to apply to serve as head clinicians, which involves some additional opportunities and responsibilities in the function of PETE's PALs. In order for the program to run smoothly, we need clinicians to be present as much as possible (preferably at every session). Therefore, if you are unable to commit to at least four of the five sessions, please consider apply another semester. All applications are due by February 24th If you would like additional information please see our website (http://www.purdue.edu/hhs/hk/petespals/index.html) If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact me (karichar(a)purdue.edu) The overall program schedule is listed below and additional information is enclosed in the application packet or posted online. PETEs PALs Training -3/8 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Lambert Fieldhouse Gymnasium, Purdue University Session 1 - 3/22 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 2 - 3/29 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 3 - 4/5 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 4 -4/12 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 5 - 4/19 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Sincerely K. Andrew Richards 860-681-5498 Karichar(a)purdue.edu Graduate Teaching Assistant Purdue University Department of Health and Kinesiology Lambert Fieldhouse 800 W Stadium Avenue West Lafayette, IN 47907 Graduate Teaching Assistant Purdue University Center for Instructional Excellence C. Ernest Young Hall, Rm. 730 155 S Grant St West Lafayette, IN 47907 Coordinator PETE's PALs Program http://www.purdue.edu/hhs/hk/petespals/ -----Original Message----- From: K. Andrew Richards [mailto:karichar@purdue.edu] Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2011 4:18 PM To: kales(a)purdue.edu; khan59(a)purdue.edu; kim1314(a)purdue.edu; kozlowsa(a)purdue.edu; mkrauza(a)purdue.edu; kruseja(a)purdue.edu; klanden(a)purdue.edu; dlanti00(a)purdue.edu; Pelittle83(a)yahoo.com; clynam(a)purdue.edu; mmcdavi(a)purdue.edu; cmcgonig(a)purdue.edu; McKenzie, Steven P; amenze(a)purdue.edu; mills46(a)purdue.edu; Morigaki, Katherine E; muir(a)purdue.edu; obrien55(a)purdue.edu; Orstad, Stephanie L; Parker, Lauren J; mplante(a)purdue.edu; traffege(a)purdue.edu; Richards, Kevin A; erichards(a)purdue.edu; jhryu(a)purdue.edu; Savage, William Scott; Sheldon, Ryan Douglas; sshim(a)purdue.edu; jsivley(a)purdue.edu; anskinne(a)purdue.edu; cnapolil(a)purdue.edu; jsmurr(a)purdue.edu; tsondger(a)purdue.edu; sstaplet(a)purdue.edu; Taheripour, Parisa; Tamura, Kosuke; mtham(a)purdue.edu; Tjeerdsma, Nicholas R; ftrembat(a)purdue.edu; lvacek(a)purdue.edu; Voll, Craig A; gjwatson(a)purdue.edu; Starnes, Heather Ann; wu325(a)purdue.edu; tyeasmee(a)purdue.edu; zhang855(a)purdue.edu; Ficker, Grace J; Velasquez, Juan D; Morris, Robert C; H.P.; rebeccaivic(a)gmail.com; Logsdon, Rebecca A; pritchey(a)purdue.edu; snritchey(a)purdue.edu; ckulesza(a)purdue.edu; tatkinson(a)purdue.edu; sjkimble(a)gmail.ecom; vwillot(a)purdue.edu; gricco(a)purdue.edu; mandreat(a)purdue.edu; edrobins(a)purdue.edu; mefloyd(a)purdue.edu; smpeters(a)purdue.edu; Richards, Kevin A; Bots, Yuriy Orestovych; Mason, Linda J; jpfeiffer(a)purdue.edu; lee1003(a)purdue.edu; Atkinson, Thomas W.; Richards, Kevin A; mljohnst(a)purdue.edu; einafets83(a)gmail.com; mdojutre(a)purdue.edu; Gokturk, Duygun; jdklein(a)purdue.edu; noliveir(a)purdue.edu; kvsingh(a)purdue.edu; Tevault, Amy N; mhemphill31(a)gmail.com; jalspaug(a)purdue.edu; ncelik(a)purdue.edu; cfancher(a)purdue.edu; guo49(a)purdue.edu; saikat.gupta.1(a)purdue.edu; svaidya(a)purdue.edu; Huang374(a)purdue.edu; xiaoxu.leng.1(a)purdue.edu; li922(a)purdue.edu; cpertiwi(a)purdue.edu; Shi103(a)purdue.edu; singh166(a)purdue.edu; vermad(a)purdue.edu; yao48(a)purdue.edu; yu240(a)purdue.edu; yu172(a)purdue.edu; Zeng22(a)purdue.edu; Zhang979(a)purdue.edu; zhou245(a)purdue.edu; zhu213(a)purdue.edu; rvadlama(a)purdue.edu; dbleah(a)purdue.edu; schennup(a)purdue.edu; nkarimi(a)purdue.edu; gkulkar(a)purdue.edu; pnataraj(a)purdue.edu; shen118(a)purdue.edu; mtafurar(a)purdue.edu; Zhou237(a)purdue.edu; Hibel, Jacob; Wilson, Steven R; Roberts, Felicia D; 'Jennifer S Owlett'; Lynch, Cyndi D Subject: PETE's PALs Spring of 2012 Call for Clinicians Purdue University Faculty, Staff, and Fellow Graduate Students We are please to formally announce the call for Spring 2012 PETE's PALs clinicians. PETE's PALs is a physical activity and aquatics program for children with disabilities in the local community and we rely heavily on Purdue University undergraduate and graduate students who serve as clinicians and work one-on-one with the children who attend the program. Please pass along the information provided below as well as the attached application materials to your students and any others who may be interested in participating including your colleagues who may have students that could be interested in participating. We are hoping for a record number of student applicants this fall and need your help to recruit on campus. If you have any questions please let me know if you have any questions or concerns ---- Dear Potential PETE's PALs Clinician My name is Kevin Andrew Richards and I am assisting with the PETE's PALs this fall. PETE's Pals is a physical activity and aquatics program for children with disabilities in the greater-Lafayette area. The program is coordinated through the Faith Community Center in Lafayette and will run for five Thursday evenings in March and April from 6-8 PM. As a service-based, non-profit program, PETEs PALs largely depends on the participation of Purdue University student-clinicians and their desire to volunteer. Each clinician is paired 1 on 1 with a special needs student who they work with throughout the five weeks of the program. For one hour of every session you would play games and do activities with your partner in the gymnasium at Faith and then in the second hour we take all of the children into Faith's zero-entry pool for about 40 minutes of aquatics instruction. PETEs PAL's has been coordinated out of the Department of Health and Kinesiology for the past several years and fills a sincere need in the community for physical activity opportunities for students with disabilities. Additionally, it provides opportunities for Purdue students to get hands on experience working in practical settings. Because of this, the program fulfills service requirements for many classes. If this opportunity sounds interesting to you, please see the attached application form which we will use to gather some background information relative to your experience so that we can best pair you with a child. To apply, please print off a copy of the attached application and return it to my office (Lambert Fieldhouse, Rm. 110). I have attached both .pdf and .doc versions. Students who have participated in the program in the past are encouraged to apply to serve as head clinicians, which involves some additional opportunities and responsibilities in the function of PETE's PALs. In order for the program to run smoothly, we need clinicians to be present as much as possible (preferably at every session). Therefore, if you are unable to commit to at least four of the five sessions, please consider apply another semester. All applications are due by February 24th If you would like additional information please see our website (http://www.purdue.edu/hhs/hk/petespals/index.html) If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact me (karichar(a)purdue.edu) The overall program schedule is listed below and additional information is enclosed in the application packet or posted online. PETEs PALs Training -3/8 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Lambert Fieldhouse Gymnasium, Purdue University Session 1 - 3/22 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 2 - 3/29 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 3 - 4/5 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 4 -4/12 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Session 5 - 4/19 - 6:00-8:00 PM - Faith Community Center, Lafayette, IN Sincerely K. Andrew Richards 860-681-5498 Karichar(a)purdue.edu Graduate Teaching Assistant Purdue University Department of Health and Kinesiology Lambert Fieldhouse 800 W Stadium Avenue West Lafayette, IN 47907 Graduate Teaching Assistant Purdue University Center for Instructional Excellence C. Ernest Young Hall, Rm. 730 155 S Grant St West Lafayette, IN 47907 Coordinator PETE's PALs Program http://www.purdue.edu/hhs/hk/petespals/

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FW: Seminar this Friday 1/27
by Murray, Chris L 23 Jan '12

23 Jan '12

From: Potrawski, Matthew S Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 4:40 PM To: Murray, Chris L; Coulson, Dara M; Bystrom, Donna L.; Baumgardt, Jacqueline C.; Gelfand, Johanna K; Thompson, Julia D.; 'Jyoti Mathur'; Reece, Kellie A; Dellinger, Leza R; Lindsay, Melanie A.; Geiger, Melissa J; Peer, Rebecca J.; Butz, Rita E; 'Sally Goeke'; 'Terri Moore' Cc: 'jjturner(a)purdue.edu' Subject: Seminar this Friday 1/27 Everyone, Could you please post this seminar flyer. Thank you! Matthew S. Potrawski Managing Director Purdue Center for Systems Integrity (PCSI) Purdue University 1500 Kepner Drive Lafayette, IN 47905 http://www.purdue.edu/research/vpr/idi/pcsi/<BLOCKED::http://www.purdue.edu/research/vpr/idi/pcsi/> Office: (765) 496-9301 Fax: (765) 449-1685 [cid:image002.jpg@01CCD9ED.A13A70A0] [cid:image003.png@01CCD9E9.3DDDDFA0] PRISM: Center for Prediction of Reliability, Integrity and Survivability of Microsystems Purdue University Birck Nanotechnology Center 1205 West State Street West Lafayette, IN 47907-2057 www.purdue.edu/research/prism<BLOCKED::http://www.purdue.edu/research/prism> Office: (765) 496-9301 Main: (765) 496-6298 Fax: (765) 496-6443 [cid:image005.jpg@01CCD9ED.A13A70A0]

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Schaffer seminar Reminder
by Green, Brandy J 23 Jan '12

23 Jan '12

Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering Graduate Seminar series Dr. David Schaffer Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering University of California, Berkeley "Molecular Engineering of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Cues to Control Stem Cell Function" January 24, 2012 9:00-10:15 a.m., FRNY G140 Reception at 10:15 a.m. in Henson Atrium Abstract: Stem cell microenvironments present complex repertoires of signals to regulate the processes self-renewal and differentiation. There has been considerable progress in studying soluble signals that regulate stem cell function, but comparatively less work has focused on investigating the "solid phase" of the microenvironment, in large part due to experimental complexities in investigating and mimicking the complexity of the extracellular matrix (ECM), cell-cell interactions, and other components. Recent work demonstrates that bioactive, synthetic materials can be harnessed to emulate and thereby study the effects of solid phase, biophysical cues on cell function. By using a modular, bioactive material, we have found that that the matrix modulus or stiffness profoundly impacts neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, and mechanistic analysis implicates key mechanotransductive pathways in this process that are important in cell culture and in vivo. Furthermore, immobilization of biochemical signals to the solid phase of a natural niche can lead to nanoscale organization of these signals, and nanostructured biological-polymeric conjugates likewise serve as potent effectors of neural stem and human embryonic stem cell function. Finally, the combinatorial presentation of different matrix motifs from a material can generate synthetic systems capable of supporting the self-renewal and differentiation of both neural stem cells and human embryonic stem cells, thereby enabling the dissection or distillation of the ECM into key individual signals necessary to support stem cell function. Biomimetic materials can thus be employed to study mechanisms by which the solid phase of a stem cell microenvironment regulates cell function, as well as offer safe, scaleable, and robust systems to control stem cells for biomedical application. In addition to engineering the microenvironment, one can control a cell's behavior by editing its genome. Gene delivery vehicles based on viruses offer a number of advantageous properties, including the potential for safe and efficient gene delivery; however, they face a number of challenges including inefficient delivery to some therapeutically relevant cells such as stem cells. Such shortcomings arguably arise from the fact that viruses did not naturally evolve to be utilized as human therapeutics, and we have thus been developing directed evolution - the iterative generation of large libraries genetic mutants and selection for enhanced properties - as an approach to create new viruses with useful properties. For example, we have evolved adeno-associated virus for enhanced gene delivery to and gene targeting in neural stem cells and human embryonic stem cells. Engineering both extrinsic and intrinsic cues thus provides strong capabilities to study natural mechanisms of stem cell fate regulation, as well as to control these choices for therapeutic applications. Bio: David Schaffer is a Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, and Neuroscience at University of California, Berkeley, where he also serves as the Director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center. He graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1993. Afterward, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his Ph.D. also in Chemical Engineering in 1998. Finally, he did a postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Fred Gage at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA before moving to UC Berkeley in 1999. At Berkeley, Dr. Schaffer applies engineering principles to enhance stem cell and gene therapy approaches for neuroregeneration, work that includes developing new technologies to enable mechanistic investigation of stem cell control. David Schaffer has received an NSF CAREER Award, Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, Whitaker Foundation Young Investigator Award, and was named a Technology Review Top 100 Innovator. He was also awarded the Biomedical Engineering Society Rita Shaffer Young Investigator Award in 2000, the American Chemical Society BIOT Division Young Investigator Award in 2006, and was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering in 2010.

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