Chemical Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series

Victor Ugaz of Texas A&M University will present “Enzymes and Lava Lamps: a Toolbox for Chemical Engineering at the Microscale,” Thursday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. in Mechanical Engineering Room 217.  This seminar will highlight recent work aimed at harnessing fundamental transport phenomena at the microscale in ways that can help enable the development of rapid portable bioanalysis systems. Ugaz will discuss how specific biochemical interactions between an enzyme and a biodegradable substrate can be harnessed to execute precise flow-actuated micro-machining. This novel approach makes it possible to perform simultaneous size-based isolation and enrichment of cells from whole blood via large sample volume filtration processing.

Ugaz will also discuss a novel method to actuate DNA replication via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by exploiting thermally-driven natural convection.  This implementation offers advantages in design and scope, with rapid DNA replication rates achieved in reactors designed to generate these flows. Lastly, his seminar will discuss the use of microscale convective PCR as a platform to develop innovative hands-on educational experiences that unify and reinforce fundamental principles at the interface between the physical, chemical, and life sciences.

Ugaz received his doctoral degree in chemical engineering at Northwestern University and currently serves as associate professor and is the Kenneth R. Hall Development Professor in the Artie McFerrin department of chemical engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. His research focuses broadly on harnessing the unique characteristics of transport and flow at the microscale, with specific interests in microfluidic flows, microchip gel electrophoresis, PCR thermocycling in novel convective flow devices, and construction of 3D vascular flow networks for biomedical applications.

For more information, see the Distinguished Lecture Series, or contact seminar chair Jamie Hestekin, jhesteki@uark.edu.