[cid:image005.png@01D18BF9.27135130]<https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE> Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering Kelly Lectures Dr. Kristi Anseth Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering University of Colorado, Boulder "Chemical Engineering at the Interface of Discipline" Tuesday, April 19, 2016 3:00-4:15 p.m. FRNY G140 Reception at 2:30 p.m. in Henson Atrium Abstract: When I began my career as an Assistant Professor, I wondered how to distinguish myself in my career. The boundaries between science and engineering, biology and material science, basic and translational research are often blurry, and how does one transition from the ordinary to something that is more extraordinary. One path is to look at the interfaces of fields and training, and this happens to be a path that I pursued. This talk will touch on topics such as when to take risks, how to build a network of support, and how to insure the future success of the chemical engineering field by engaging in research that is valued across disciplines. Bio: Kristi S. Anseth earned her B.S. degree from Purdue University in 1992 and her Ph.D. degree from the University of Colorado in 1994. After post-doctoral research at MIT, she joined the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder as an Assistant Professor in 1996. Dr. Anseth is presently a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Her research interests lie at the interface between biology and engineering where she designs new biomaterials for applications in drug delivery and regenerative medicine. Dr. Anseth is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (2009), the Institute of Medicine (2009), and the National Academy of Sciences (2013). She is a proud Purdue alumna, was honored to receive a Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award (2012), and presently serves on the College of Engineering's Advisory Council. ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** "Cellular Control in a Couple of Clicks" Wednesday, April 20, 2016 11:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. FRNY G140 Abstract: Methods for culturing mammalian cells in a biologically relevant context are increasingly needed to study cell and tissue physiology, expand and differentiate progenitor cells, and to grow replacement tissues for regenerative medicine. Two-dimensional culture has been the paradigm for in vitro cell culture; however, evidence and intuition suggest that cells behave differently when they are isolated from the complex architecture of their native tissues and constrained to petri dishes or material surfaces with unnaturally high stiffness, polarity, and surface to volume ratio. As a result, biologists are often faced with the need for a more physiologically relevant 3D culture environment, and many researchers are realizing the advantages of hydrogels as a means of creating custom 3D microenvironments with highly controlled chemical, biological and physical cues. Further, the native ECM is far from static, so ECM mimics must also be dynamic to direct complex cellular behavior. In general, there is an un-met need for materials that allow user-defined control over the spatio-temporal presentation of important signals, such as integrin-binding ligands, growth factor release, and biomechanical signals. Developing such hydrogel mimics of the ECM for 3D cell culture is an archetypal engineering problem, requiring control of numerous properties on multiple time and length scales important for cellular functions. New materials systems have the potential to significantly improve our understanding of how cells receive information from their microenvironment and the role that these dynamic processes may play in controlling the stem cell niche to cancer metastasis. This talk will illustrate our recent efforts to advance hydrogel chemistries for 3D cell culture and dynamically control biochemical and biophysical properties through orthogonal, photochemical click reaction mechanisms.
