UW News

October 11, 2012

Molecular engineering is focus of College of Engineering’s fall lectures

UW News

Lecture Series brochureOver the next few weeks, the College of Engineering’s popular fall lecture series will feature UW faculty who do research in molecular engineering.

The series of evening lectures, which are open to the public, kicks off next Tuesday (Oct. 16) in 120 Kane Hall with Launching the Molecular Engineering Revolution. Matthew O’Donnell, dean of the UW’s College of Engineering, will describe how molecular engineering is poised to spark a new digital revolution, with implications for biotech, clean energy and other fields. O’Donnell will also discuss the role of the UW’s newly established Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute.

On Thursday, Nov. 1 in 220 Kane Hall, the focus will be on clean-energy applications with Here Comes the Sun: Engineering New Solar Technologies at the Molecular Scale. UW faculty members Hugh Hillhouse, professor of chemical engineering, and Christine Luscombe, associate professor of materials science and engineering, will describe how 50 years of solar-technology research may soon deliver cheaper, more efficient solar cells built from abundant materials.

The third lecture, on Thursday, Nov. 8 in 220 Kane Hall, focuses on healthcare applications with Into the Body: Molecular Systems for Healing. Professor Patrick Stayton and associate professor Suzie Pun, both in bioengineering, will describe how molecular engineering can improve treatment of cancer. Research efforts include ways to deliver drugs directly to diseased cells and to make very early diagnosis possible through new ways to visualize the human body.

The Engineering Lecture Series is presented in collaboration with the UW Alumni Association. All lectures are free and start at 7 p.m. Advance registration, either online or by calling 206-543-0540, is required. All lectures will be broadcast at a later date on UWTV.

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