D.B. Robinson Speaker Series
Appropriately named, this lecture series highlights a combination of exemplary scholarship and industrial relevance-befitting of Dr. Donald Baker Robinson, a distinguished scholar and businessperson. The D.B. Robinson Distinguished Speaker Series in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta will enhance the growing international reputation of our scholarly activities.
Each year, the D.B. Robinson Distinguished Speaker Series features internationally-renowned engineers and scientists who inspire our students and faculty members alike. The series also includes the following featured lectures:
- Andrew Main Lecture (sponsored by the Imperial Oil - Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Oil Sands Innovation)
- Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions
- Schlumberger Lecture
- Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy
- Previous IC Distinguished Lectures
Each of these lectures is an important event in our Department's calendar.
Seminars take place on Thursdays at 3:30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
2021 - 2022 Speaker Series
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October 7, 2021 |
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October 28, 2021 |
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November 18, 2021 |
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December 2, 2021 |
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January 27, 2022 |
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February 17, 2022 |
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March 31, 2022 |
2020 - 2021 Speaker Series
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August 20, 2020 |
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October 15, 2020 |
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October 29, 2021 |
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November 19, 2020 |
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December 10, 2020 |
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January 14, 2021 |
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January 28, 2021 |
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March 11, 2021 |
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April 1, 2021 |
2019 - 2020 Speaker Series
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September 5, 2019 |
| September 12, 2018 Yoshitada Morikawa Osaka University Theoretical Design of Chemical Reactions at Surfaces and Interfaces using First principles Simulation 3:30pm ETLC 1-003 |
| October 3, 2019 Elizabeth Gillies University of Western Ontario Development of New Functional Degradable Polymers for Biomedical Applications 3:00pm ETLC 1-003 |
| October 17, 2019 Anthony Dixon Worcester Polytechnic Institute Selective oxidation in fixed bed reactors insights from CFD simulations 3:30pm ETLC 1-003 |
| October 31, 2019 Gerald Fuller Stanford University Two Sides of the Evaporation Coin: Stabilizing Foams and Causing Rayleigh Taylor Instabilities 3:30pm ETLC 1-003 |
| November 1, 2019 Gerald Fuller Stanford University Lubricin - Alleviating the Effects of Dry Eye 3:30pm ETLC 1-003 |
| January 23, 2020 Gerald Frankel Ohio State University A New Paradigm for Designing Corrosion Resistant Materials 3:30pm ETLC 1-017 |
| March 12, 2020 Marianthi Ierapetritou University of Delaware 3:30pm ETLC 1-017 |
| April 16, 2020 Dongyuan Zhao Fudan University Oriented Assembly of Functional Mesoporous Materials on Interface 3:30pm ETLC 1-003 |
2018 - 2019 Speaker Series
| September 20, 2018 Arthur Mar University of Alberta Accelerating the Discovery of Solid State Materials: From Traditional to Machine Learning Approaches 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| October 4, 2018 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part One Marco Mazzotti ETH Zurich The role of CCUS in a net zero CO2 emissions world 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| October 5, 2018 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part Two Marco Mazzotti ETH Zurich Design and optimization of adsorbents and cycles in CO2 capture by adsorption 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| October 25, 2018 Bhavik Bakshi Ohio State University Including Nature in Engineering for Sustainability and Innovation 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| December 6, 2018 Doris Vollmer Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research How to design easy to clean surfaces 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| February 14, 2019 Lutz Mädler University of Bremen & Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering IWT High throughput with particle technology for toxicology and materials discovery 3:00pm CCIS L2-190 |
| March 14, 2019 John Sader University of Melbourne Dynamics of micron and nanometre scale mechanical devices in fluid with applications to atomic and molecular sensing 3:00pm CCIS L2-190 |
| April 25, 2019 Michael Doherty University of California - Santa Barbara Digital Drug Product Design: From Crystal Structure to Process Structure 3:00pm |
| July 11, 2019 Hans Jurgen Butt Max Planck Institute of Polymer Research in Mainz Contact Angle Hysteresis 3:00pm |
2017 - 2018 Speaker Series
| September 21, 2017 Nitash P. Balsara University of California Ohm's Law, Polymer Electrolytes and Lithium Batteries 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
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September 28, 2017 |
| October 5, 2017 Mackiw Lecture Erik Ydstie Carnegie Mellon University Thermodynamics, Control and Networked Systems 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| October 19, 2017 Karen Winey University of Pennsylvania Precise Polyethylenes that Control Nanoscale Morphologies & Properties 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| October 26, 2017 Massimo Morbidelli ETH Zurich End to End Integrated Continuous Manufacture of Therapeutic Proteins 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| November 2, 2017 Jinwen Chen Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology Partial Upgrading: Challenges and Opportunities 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| April 5, 2018 Suljo Linic University of Michigan Catalysis on plasmonic metal nanoparticles: opportunities for highly selective chemical conversion 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| April 19, 2018 Kathleen Stebe University of Pennsylvania Geometric Strategies for Directed Assembly of Colloids in Soft Matter 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| April 26, 2018 Don R. Sadoway Massachusetts Institute of Technology Electrochemical Pathways Towards Sustainable Metals Extraction 3:00pm CCIS 1-430 |
2016 - 2017 Speaker Series
| October 27, 2016 Martin Richardson University of Central Florida New Paradigms in laser based remote sensing 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| November 3, 2016 Andrew Main Lecture Jinsang Kim University of Michigan Designer functional polymers for energy and optoelectronics 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| February 9, 2017 Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions Lecture Margarida Telo Da Gama University of Lisbon Non equilibrium self organized of colloidal particles 3:30pm CCIS L2-190 |
| March 9, 2017 Schlumberger Lecture Dave Weitz Harvard University Dripping, jetting, drops and wetting: The magic of Microfluids 3:30pm CCIS L2-190 |
| March 10, 2017 ICI Distinguished Speaker Part One Dave Weitz Harvard University Multiphase fluid flow through Porous Media 2:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| March 30, 2017 ICI Distinguished Speaker Part Two Guillaume Reinhart Universite D'aix Application of x ray imaging to the study of metal alloy solidification 3:30pm CCIS L2-190 |
| April 13, 2017 Mackiw Lecture J.A.M. (Hans) Kuipers Technische Universiteit Eindhoven Multiscale Modelling of transport phenomena in multiphase chemical reactors 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| May 3, 2017 Mark Prausnitz Georgia Institute of Technology Microfabricated devices for drug delivery, vaccinations, and other biomedical applications 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
| May 8, 2017 Massimo Morbidelli ETH Zurich Form polymer colloids to structural materials 3:30pm ETLC 1-001 |
2015 - 2016 Speaker Series
| September 24, 2015 Dr. Zhong Lin Wang Georgia Institute of Technology Piezotronics and piezo photonics 3:30pm ETLC E1-001 |
| September 25, 2015 Dr. Zhong Lin Wang Georgia Institute of Technology Triboelectric nanogenerator for self powered systems and Large Scale Blue Energy 3:30pm ETLC E1-001 |
| October 22, 2015 Lone Jespersen Maple Leaf Foods Profiling and Strengthening Food Safety Culture 3:30pm ETLC E1-001 |
| November 19, 2015 Shafiq Jaffer TOTAL American Services, Inc. Society's grand challenges: the connectivity of water, energy, food and climate 3:30pm ETLC E1-001 |
| December 10, 2015 Schlumberger Lecture Lei Jiang Chinese Academy of Sciences, PR China Smart Interfacial Materials from Super Wettability to Binary Co operative Complementary Systems 3:30pm ETLC E1-001 |
| January 7, 2016 Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions Lecture Ashwani Gupta University of Maryland Sustainable Opportunities for Clean Energy Production From Biomass and Wastes 3:30pm CCIS L2-190 |
| February 25, 2016 Ignacio Grossmann Carnegie Mellon University The Increasing Scope of Optimization in the Oil and Gas Industry 3:30pm CCIS L2-190 |
| March 24, 2016 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy John M. Vohs University of Pennsylvania Nano Structured Metal Catalysts for High Temperature Applications 3:30pm CCIS L2-190 |
| April 28, 2016 Andrew Main Lecture Oliver C. Mullins Schlumberger New Asphaltene Nanoscience and its Impact on Reservoir Characterization 3:30pm ETLC E1-001 |
2014 - 2015 Speaker Series
| September 18, 2014 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Dr. Tresa M. Pollock University of California - Santa Barbara Rapid Acquisition of 3D Data at the Mesoscale: TriBeam Tomography and Property Modelling Host: Dr. Hani Henein |
| October 23, 2014 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part One Dr. Dionisios G. Vlachos University of Delaware Heteroepitaxial Materials in the Energy Arena: Self assembly, Control, and Emergent Properties Host: Dr. Vinay Prasad |
| October 24, 2014 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part Two Dr. Dionisios G. Vlachos University of Delaware Multiscale Simulation of Chemical Reactions and Reactors: Combinatorial Complexity, Uncertainty, and Emergent Behaviour Host: Dr. Vinay Prasad |
| February 12, 2015 Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions Lecture Dr. Yeshayahu (Ishi) Talmon Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Israel Cryogenic Electron Microscopy in the Study of Nanostructured Liquids: The State of the Technology Host: Dr. John Shaw |
| March 12, 2015 Dr. Christopher Schuh Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harder, Cheaper, Greener: The Design and Deployment of Alloy Coatings with Stabilized Nanocrystalline Structures Host: Dr. Dongyang Li |
| March 19, 2015 Dr. Fernando Muzzio Rutgers University Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: The Engineer's Turn Host: Dr. Suzanne Kresta |
| April 2, 2015 Schlumberger Lecture Dr. Rakesh Agrawal Purdue University Chemical Engineering for a Sustainable Energy Future Host: Dr. Arvind Rajendran |
| April 30, 2015 Dr. Molly Shoichet University of Toronto, Canada 3D Control of the Cellular Microenvironment Influences Cell Fate Hosts: Drs. Janet Elliot & Anastasia Elias |
| May 12, 2015 Andrew Main Lecture Dr. Cliff Johnston Purdue University Understanding the Surface Chemistry of Oil Sands Clay Minerals: Implications for Improved Extraction and Management of Tailings Host: Dr. Qi Liu |
2013 - 2014 Speaker Series
| September 19, 2013 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part One Dr. John Brady California Institute of Technology The Micromechanics of Collodial Dispersions Host: Dr. Steven Dubljevic |
| September 20, 2013 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part Two Dr. John Brady California Institute of Technology Osmotic Propulsion: The Osmotic Motor Host: Dr. Steven Dubljevic |
| October 3, 2013 Schlumberger Lecture Dr. Klavs F. Jensen Massachusetts Institute of Technology Synthesis on Demand: On your desktop Host: Dr. Neda Nazemifard |
| October 31, 2013 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Dr. Philippe Marcus Chimie ParisTech Nanostructure and properties of metal surfaces and thin oxide layers Host: Dr. Jingli Luo |
| November 21, 2013 Alberta Innovates Engergy and Environment Solutions Lecture Dr. Sue A. Carter University of California - Santa Cruz Wavelength selective photovoltaics for power generating greenhouses Host: Dr. Zhenghe Xu |
| January 30, 2014 Dr. Richard Sayre New Mexico Consortium Next generation biofuels from algae Host: Dr. William McCaffrey |
| March 6, 2014 CANCELLED |
| April 10, 2014 Dr. Francois Bertrand École Polytechnique de Montréal A mix of computational technologies for a better blend Host: Dr. Robert Hayes |
| May 6, 2014 Andrew Main Lecture Dr. Jeroen S. van Duijneveldt University of Bristol Controlling clay suspensions in water and oil using surfactants Host: Dr. Murray Gray |
2012 - 2013 Speaker Series
| September 13, 2012 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Dr. Ron Latanision Exponent, Engineering and Scientific Consulting Corrosion Science, Corrosion Engineering and New Technologies |
| October 4, 2012 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part One Dr. John Rogers University of Illinois Materials and Mechanics for Bio Integrated Electronics |
| October 5, 2012 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part Two Dr. John Rogers University of Illinois Materials Science and Applications of Arrays of Semiconducting Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes 11:00am ETLC Solarium, refreshments at 10:30am |
| October 25, 2012 Alberta Innovates Engergy and Environment Solutions Lecture Dr. Larry Baxter Brigham Young University Co-firing: Implementation of Bioengery within the current Infrastructure |
| November 15, 2012 Dr. Mary Anne White Dalhousie University Sustainable Approaches to Energy Harvesting and Storage |
| January 31, 2013 Schlumberger Lecture Dr. Jean Luc Daridon Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour Characterization of Fluid Properties Under Pressure by Acoustic Measurements |
| February 14, 2013 Andrew Main Lecture Dr. Javier Pérez Ramírez ETH Zurich Treasure Hunting in Catalysis by Hierarchical Zeolite Design |
| March 14, 2013 Dr. Susan McCahan University of Toronto Designing a Compelling Learning Experience |
| *March 15, 2013 Dr. Susan McCahan University of Toronto Learning Environment and Language in Engineering Education *Bonus lecture |
| April 18, 2013 Dr. Nikolaos Sahinidis Carnegie Mellon University ALAMO: Automatic Learning of Algebraic Models for Optimization |
2011 - 2012 Speaker Series
| September 15, 2011 Professor Daniel Resasco University of Oklahoma Catalytic Upgrading of Vapors and Liquids from Pyrolysis of Biomass |
| September 29, 2011 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part One Professor John Ralston University of South Australia Of Bubble, Particles, Interfacial Fluid Flow and Why Things Get Wet |
| September 30, 2011 ICI Distinguished Lecture Part Two Professor John Ralston University of South Australia Dynamic Wetting and Adhesion at Structured Surfaces |
| December 8, 2011 Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions Lecture Dr. David Sanborn Scott International Association of Hydrogen Energy Always Begin with the End in Mind: Hydricity |
| January 26, 2012 Schlumberger Lecture Professor Philipp Rudolf von Rohr ETH Zurich Flames in Supercrital Water: Spallation Drilling for Geothermal Energy |
| February 9, 2012 Professor David G. Castner University of Washington Challenges and Opportunities in Biomedical Surface Analysis: Nanoparticles to 3D imaging of Cells |
| March 1, 2012 Andrew Main Lecture Dr. T. Alan Hatton Massachusetts Institute of Technology Electrochemically Mediated Separations for Carbon Management |
| April 5, 2012 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Professor Michel Rappaz Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Energy Resources and Technology Option for a Sustainable Energy Future |
| April 12, 2012 Professor Manfred Morari ETH Zurich The Impact of Theory on Control Practice |
2010 - 2011 Speaker Series
| September 23, 2010 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Professor Harry Bhadeshia University of Cambridge The First Bulk Nanostructured Metal |
| October 7, 2010 ICI Distinguished Lecture Professor Milorad Dudukovic Washington University Reaction Engineering and Modern Technological Challenges |
| October 8, 2010 ICI Distinguished Lecture Professor Milorad Dudukovic Washington University Novel Techniques for Multiphase Reactors |
| November 4, 2010 Professor David Mooney Harvard University Materials to Program Cells In Situ |
| November 18, 2010 Schlumberger Lecture Professor Emeritus William Krantz University of Colorado at Boulder Recent Developments in the Formation and Characterization of Semi permeable Membranes |
| February 17, 2011 Professor Babatunde Ogunnaike University of Delaware Computational and Process Systems Approaches to Resolving the TGF β Paradox in Cancer |
| March 10, 2011 Andrew Main Lecture Dr. Michael Siskin Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering Co. Organic Chemistry of Coke Formation and Morphology in the Thermal Conversion of Heavy Oils |
| March 31, 2011 Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions Lecture Professor (Research) Sally Benson Stanford University Energy Resources and Technology Option for a Sustainable Energy Future |
| April 21, 2011 School of Energy and the Environment Distinguished Lecture Professor Mildred Dresselhaus Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Promise of Nano Materials for Energy Related Applications |
2009 - 2010 Speaker Series
| September 10, 2009 Schlumberger Lecture Professor Pablo Debenedetti Princeton University Computational Studies of the Thermodynamics, Structure and Dynamics of Water in Nano Scale Confinement |
| September 17, 2009 Alberta Energy Research Institute Lecture Professor Ponisseril Somasundaran Columbia University Role of Nanostructures of Polymers, Surfactants, Proteins and their Hybrids in Wettabilty/Dispersion/Deposition/Nanotoxicity |
| November 5 & 6, 2009 ICI Distinguished Lecture Professor Boris Rubinsky Hebrew University of Jerusalem Technological Breakthroughs in Societal Bioengineering for Economically Disadvantaged People and Societies |
| Dec 3, 2009 Professor Joan Brennecke University of Notre Dame When Ionic Liquid Might be Good for Separations |
| March 25, 2010 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Professor Elisabeth Gautier Ecole des Mines de Nancy Microstructure Evolutions Associated with the Solid Solid Phase Transformations. Experimental Analysis and Modelling Approaches |
| April 8, 2010 Professor Long Qing Chen Penn State University Phase field Model of Microstructure Evolution |
| May 3, 2010 Andrew Main Lecture Professor Per Claesson KTH Royal Institute of Technology Friction Forves between Adsorbed Polymer Layers |
2008 - 2009 Speaker Series
| November 13, 2008 ICI Distinguished Lecturer Prof. Dr. Hans Jürgen Butt Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Evaporation of Small Drops from Surfaces |
| January 29, 2009 Dr. Diran Apelian, Sc.D. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sustainable Development for the 21st Century: Making a World of Difference through Engineering |
| February 12, 2009 Schlumberger Lecture Dr. David A. Kofke University at Buffalo, The State University of New York The "Easy" Phases Can Still Provide Interest, Challenge, and Opportunity |
| February 26, 2009 Mark A. Barteau University of Delaware Fundamental Approaches to Catalyst Design for Selectivity: Lessons from Olefin Epoxidation |
| March 12, 2009 Christopher W. Macosko University of Minnesota Slip and Adhesion between Immiscible Polymers |
| April 2, 2009 Andrew Main Lecture Professor B.P. Binks University of Hull Foams and Emulsions Stabilised Solely by Solid Particles |
2007 - 2008 Speaker Series
| October 4, 2007 ICI Distinguished Lecture Dr. Douglas A. Lauffenburger Massachusetts Institute of Technology Biological Engineering: A New Biology/Engineering Fusion |
| November 1, 2007 Dr. Kam Leong Duke University Delivering Biochemical and Topographical Cues from Continuous Nanostructures |
| November 8, 2007 Dr. Chunshan Song Pennsylvania State University Global Energy Challenges and the Role of Catalysis for Clean Fuels and Fuel Cells |
| Dec 6, 2007 Dr. James Sneyd University of Auckland Calcium Dynamics: Using Math to do Physiology |
| March 6, 2008 Andrew Main Lecture Dr. Roby Bearden Jr. Retired from ExxonMobil Process Research Laboratories MICROCAT RC®Hydroconversion of Heavy Crudes: A "Slurry" Catalyst Process based on Single layer MoS2 Catalysis |
| March 27, 2008 Alberta Energy Research Institute Lecture Dr. C. N. R. Rao Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research New Chemistry with Nanomaterials |
| April 17, 2008 Dr. M. Vidyasagar Tata Consultancy Services In silico Drug Discovery: The Human Body as a Dynamical System |
| May 7, 2008 Schlumberger Lecture Dr. Carol K. Hall North Carolina State University Computer Simulation of Protein Folding |
| June 19, 2008 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Dr. Derek Kerfoot INCO Technical Services Ltd. Hydrometallurgy of Nickel and Cobalt Sulphides |
2006 - 2007 Speaker Series
| October 12, 2006 Mackiw Lecture in Metallurgy Dr. Bill Tyson Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology Fracture Mechanics: How to Keep it Together |
| November 2, 2006 ICI Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Jacob Israelachvili University of California as Santa Barbara Adhesion and Friction Forces in Everyday Life |
| November 16, 2006 Dr. Nikolas Provatas McMaster University Multi scale Methods for Phase Field Modeling of Solidification Microstructure in Evolution in Alloys |
| Dec 7, 2006 Dr. Patrik Schmuki University of Erlangen Self organized TiO2 Nanotube Layers: Formation, Properties, and Applications |
| January 25, 2007 Dr. Johm Vlachopoulos McMaster University Optimization of Polymer Processing Operations through Mathematical Modeling and Simulation |
| February 15, 2007 Dr. Walter G. Chapman Rice University Phase Behavior and Interfacial Properties of Complex Fluids - Insights into a Successful Molecular Model |
| March 1, 2007 Dr. Kazu Oiwa National Institute of Information and Communications Technology; University of Hyogo The Structure and Mechanism of Protein Motors and their Potential Applications in the Development of Bio nanodevices |
| April 5, 2007 Dr. Sankaran Sundaresan Princeton University Filtered Two fluid Models for Fluidized Gas particle Suspensions |
2005 - 2006 Speaker Series
| September 22, 2005 Dr. Gary Purdy McMaster University Thermodynamics of phase transformations: applications to diffusion and precipitation |
| September 29, 2005 Dr. Frank Allgower University of Stuttgart Process Control |
| October 6, 2005 ICI Distinguished Lecturer Dr. John H. Seinfeld California Institute of Technology How the Earth's atmosphere is changing |
| October 13, 2005 Dr. Marchc Olivier Coppens Delft University of Technology Structuring nanoporosity - computer assisted design, synthesis, and lessons from nature |
| November 17, 2005 Dr. Pierre Carreau École Polytechnique de Montreal Predicting morphology changes in reactive processing of immiscible polymer blends |
| February 2, 2006 Dr. Philippe Tanguy École Polytechnique de Montreal Innovative viscous mixing processes |
| March 2, 2006 Dr. Anna C. Balazs University of Pittsburgh Using theory and simulation to design "smart" polymeric systems |
| April 6, 2006 Dr. Michael Tsapatsis University of Minnesota Molecular sieve films |