2012 Engineering Lecture Series

The 2012 lecture series has concluded. See below for UWTV air dates.

Engineering Molecules: Tiny Solutions for Big Problems

The 2012 Engineering Lecture Series took a close look at how engineers are using small molecules to solve big problems. The emerging field of molecular engineering builds from the bottom up and aims high, promising new ways to diagnose disease earlier and treat it more precisely, and inexpensive and practical ways to harness clean sources of energy. Attendees learned how the UW's new Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute is aiding these efforts by bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines in a collaborative working environment.

Launching the Molecular Engineering Revolution

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photo, Matt O'Donnell Matt O'Donnell Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering

In the years to come, molecular engineering will reshape the economy, education, and our very relationship with the physical world. Though the field is still in its infancy, Matt O'Donnell predicts that it will eventually yield tools that could spark a revolution as far-reaching as the one we have recently witnessed in information technology. Now, with the launch of its Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, the UW is harnessing its existing strengths in the areas of cleantech and biotech to position itself at the leading edge of this revolution. O’Donnell, a scientist and engineer with a long interest in interdisciplinary work, describes his vision for the collaborative nature of molecular engineering at UW.

Here Comes the Sun: Engineering New Solar Technologies at the Molecular Scale

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photos, Hugh Hillhouse and Christine Luscombe Hugh Hillhouse Rehnberg Chair Professor, Chemical Engineering
Christine Luscombe, Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering

The sun is an almost limitless source of clean energy—if only we could capture that energy effectively. Though solar cells have been around for over 50 years, so far no one has been able to make them cheaply enough and efficient enough for truly widespread use. But by starting small, using either nanocrystals or organic polymers, Hugh Hillhouse and Christine Luscombe hope to make solar cell manufacturing simpler and more reliable while adhering to green manufacturing methods. Their approach, based on abundant raw materials, also does this much more cheaply than is currently possible. Hear them describe how molecular engineering has the potential to make solar technology accessible to all.

Into the Body: Molecular Systems for Healing

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photos, Suzie Pun and Patrick Stayton Suzie Pun, Robert F. Rushmer Associate Professor, Bioengineering
Patrick Stayton, Director, Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, Washington Research Foundation Endowed Professor, Bioengineering

Imagine delivering cancer drugs directly to tumor cells, without harming the healthy cells that surround them. Or even pinpointing cancer cells before they form tumors at all. Patrick Stayton and Suzie Pun describe how molecular engineers are devising ways to deliver drugs to cells more precisely, and visualize the human body in minute detail. Their work offers hope far beyond cancer diagnosis and treatment: the methods they are pioneering may also lead to breakthroughs in, for example, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s that are largely untreatable today.

More info at UWalum.com
Presented by the College of Engineering in partnership with UW Alumni Association.