Description:

Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal from Rice University will presenta  seminar on Squishy Bubble Dynamics for Oil Recovery Applications.

Abstract:
The use of foam in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications is being considered for gas mobility control to ensure pore-trapped oil can be effectively displaced. In fractured reservoirs, gas tends to channel only through the highly permeability regions, bypassing the less permeable porous matrix, where most of the residual oil remains. Because of the unique transport problems presented by the large permeability contrast between fractures and adjacent porous media, we aim to understand the mechanism by which foam transitions from the fracture to the matrix and how initially trapped oil can be displaced and ultimately recovered. My lab has generated micromodels, which are combined with high-speed imaging to visualize foam transport in models with permeability contrasts, fractures, and multiple phases. The wettability of these surfaces can be altered to mimic the heterogeneous wettability found in reservoir systems. We have shown how foam quality can be modulated by adjusting the ratio of gas flow ratio to aqueous flow rate in a flow focusing system and this foam quality influences sweep efficiency in heterogeneous porous media systems. I will discuss how this understanding has allowed us to design better foam EOR processes.

Biography:
Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University in Houston, TX and leads the Soft Matter Engineering Laboratory. Dr. Biswal’s research focuses on the directed assembly of colloidal systems with magnetic fields, nanomaterials for lithium ion batteries, and the understanding and manipulation of microscale fluids for oil processes. She has a B.S in chemical engineering from Caltech (1999) and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford University (2004). She is the recipient of an ONR Young Investigator Award (2008), a National Science Foundation CAREER award (2009), Rice U. Graduate Student Association Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award (2012), and the Southwest Texas Section AICHE Best Fundamental Paper Award (2014).

Date & Time: Thursday, January 15th, 9:00 am -10:00 am
Location: ITW (1350) Room- Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
2133 Sheridan Road (located next to Tech)

*Refreshments will be available at 8:45 am)

Description:

Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal from Rice University will presenta  seminar on Squishy Bubble Dynamics for Oil Recovery Applications.

Abstract:
The use of foam in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications is being considered for gas mobility control to ensure pore-trapped oil can be effectively displaced. In fractured reservoirs, gas tends to channel only through the highly permeability regions, bypassing the less permeable porous matrix, where most of the residual oil remains. Because of the unique transport problems presented by the large permeability contrast between fractures and adjacent porous media, we aim to understand the mechanism by which foam transitions from the fracture to the matrix and how initially trapped oil can be displaced and ultimately recovered. My lab has generated micromodels, which are combined with high-speed imaging to visualize foam transport in models with permeability contrasts, fractures, and multiple phases. The wettability of these surfaces can be altered to mimic the heterogeneous wettability found in reservoir systems. We have shown how foam quality can be modulated by adjusting the ratio of gas flow ratio to aqueous flow rate in a flow focusing system and this foam quality influences sweep efficiency in heterogeneous porous media systems. I will discuss how this understanding has allowed us to design better foam EOR processes.

Biography:
Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University in Houston, TX and leads the Soft Matter Engineering Laboratory. Dr. Biswal’s research focuses on the directed assembly of colloidal systems with magnetic fields, nanomaterials for lithium ion batteries, and the understanding and manipulation of microscale fluids for oil processes. She has a B.S in chemical engineering from Caltech (1999) and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford University (2004). She is the recipient of an ONR Young Investigator Award (2008), a National Science Foundation CAREER award (2009), Rice U. Graduate Student Association Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award (2012), and the Southwest Texas Section AICHE Best Fundamental Paper Award (2014).

Date & Time: Thursday, January 15th, 9:00 am -10:00 am
Location: ITW (1350) Room- Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
2133 Sheridan Road (located next to Tech)

*Refreshments will be available at 8:45 am)

Description:

Andrew Stine, a PhD candidate in Broadbelt's Lab will present a seminar on Utilization of Enzymatic Reaction Rules to Predict and Analyze Biochemical Pathways.

Abstract:
The discovery of new enzymes and new enzymatic activity is an essential but challenging area of research in a wide variety of biological applications ranging from healthcare to industrial biotechnology. The Broadbelt lab has developed a program known as the Biochemical Network Integrated Computational Explorer (BNICE) to assist such research by utilizing generalized reaction rules to computationally predict probable enzymatic activity. In this work I will discuss the application of BNICE to two different research projects. In the first, BNICE was utilized to explore potential enzymatic pathways for the production of a commercially valuable chemical which is currently derived from petroleum. Our research identified a key reaction in these pathways which was subsequently experimentally confirmed to be catalyzed by an enzyme. This activity of the enzyme was previously unknown. In the second application, BNICE was utilized to study the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q, a key component of the electron transport chain present in most eukaryotic cells. Coenzyme Q is thought to be produced from the amino acid tyrosine in higher mammals but the specific pathway is unknown. We utilized BNICE to predict several potential biosynthesis pathways. We further developed a procedure for identifying genes which may be associated with the predicted reactions. Correlating these predictions with experimentally identified potential gene candidates will allow for the rapid identification of a probable biosynthetic pathway.

Date & Time: Thursday, January 22nd, 9:00 am -10:00 am
Location: Pancoe Pavillion, Abbott Auditorium

*Refreshments will be available at 8:45 am

Description:

Dr. Elizabeth Nance from Johns Hopkins University will present a seminar on Nanotherapeutics for Neurological Disorders.

Abstract:
Compared to conventional drug delivery platforms, nanoparticles can safely provide well-dispersed, sustained-release therapeutics that are directly targeted to diseased regions of the central nervous system (CNS), as well as to specific cell types within those regions.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with chronic disabilities, have no effective cure, and are often underserved by novel drug delivery technologies, which primarily focus on adults. Therefore, there is great potential to bring nanotherapeutic approaches to neurodevelopmental disorders, with results that can also be translated to adult brain disorders. Neuroinflammation, mediated by activated microglia and astrocytes, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of many neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, including Alzheimer’s, autism, cerebral palsy (CP), stroke, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent literature suggests that attenuating neuroinflammation in the early stages can not only delay the onset, but may also provide a longer therapeutic window for treatment. Targeting activated microglia/astrocytes may offer such an opportunity. However, this is a challenge on multiple levels:

• Transport of drugs and drug delivery vehicles across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) is difficult to achieve.
• Injury is often diffuse, making it difficult for therapeutics to reach target cells, even if administered locally.
• Cerebral edema, BBB disruption, and changes to the extracellular matrix and glial cell function after injury may effect the movement, interactions, and cellular uptake of nanoparticles. This is not well understood, especially in the developing brain.

My research goals focus on understanding nanoparticle interactions, as both biophysical probes and imaging biomarkers, within disease physiology and pathology, with a focus on neurodevelopmental diseases. Rather than the traditional approach of using drugs to manipulate individual disease pathways, this research employs a method whereby nanoparticles are used to probe the disease environment first. This allows the disease to subsequently dictate the optimal therapeutic approach, an approach I’ve termed “Disease-directed engineering.” This knowledge will then be used to better design and implement therapeutic nanoparticle platforms in clinically relevant models of pediatric and adult neurological disorders.

Date & Time: Thursday, January 29th, 9:00 am -10:00 am
Location: Pancoe, Abbott Auditorium (2200 Campus Drive. Evanston, IL 60208)

*Refreshments will be available at 8:45 am)

Description:

Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal from Rice University will presenta  seminar on Squishy Bubble Dynamics for Oil Recovery Applications.

Abstract:
The use of foam in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications is being considered for gas mobility control to ensure pore-trapped oil can be effectively displaced. In fractured reservoirs, gas tends to channel only through the highly permeability regions, bypassing the less permeable porous matrix, where most of the residual oil remains. Because of the unique transport problems presented by the large permeability contrast between fractures and adjacent porous media, we aim to understand the mechanism by which foam transitions from the fracture to the matrix and how initially trapped oil can be displaced and ultimately recovered. My lab has generated micromodels, which are combined with high-speed imaging to visualize foam transport in models with permeability contrasts, fractures, and multiple phases. The wettability of these surfaces can be altered to mimic the heterogeneous wettability found in reservoir systems. We have shown how foam quality can be modulated by adjusting the ratio of gas flow ratio to aqueous flow rate in a flow focusing system and this foam quality influences sweep efficiency in heterogeneous porous media systems. I will discuss how this understanding has allowed us to design better foam EOR processes.

Biography:
Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University in Houston, TX and leads the Soft Matter Engineering Laboratory. Dr. Biswal’s research focuses on the directed assembly of colloidal systems with magnetic fields, nanomaterials for lithium ion batteries, and the understanding and manipulation of microscale fluids for oil processes. She has a B.S in chemical engineering from Caltech (1999) and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford University (2004). She is the recipient of an ONR Young Investigator Award (2008), a National Science Foundation CAREER award (2009), Rice U. Graduate Student Association Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award (2012), and the Southwest Texas Section AICHE Best Fundamental Paper Award (2014).

Date & Time: Thursday, January 15th, 9:00 am -10:00 am
Location: ITW (1350) Room- Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
2133 Sheridan Road (located next to Tech)

*Refreshments will be available at 8:45 am)