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Northwestern University

SUSPIRE Workshop

Sustainable Urban Systems: Predictive, Interconnected, Resilient and Evolving

SUSPIRE WORKSHOP RECAP

Download the SUSPIRE Workshop
Final Report here

 

Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center

Hughes Auditorium

303 E. Superior Street, Chicago, IL

July 16 - 17, 2019

This workshop addressed natural and climate, technological, and societal disruptions that transform urban systems. SUSPIRE brought together more than 100 Chicago and Great Lakes area community members and stakeholders drawn from academia, industry, foundations, community organizations, government, technology and environmental organizations, and the arts and humanities. These participants identified new research questions and methodologies to advance a sustainable urban systems research network that addresses not only science and engineering topics, but also social, behavioral, and economic considerations. Intertwined urban systems including, for example, transportation, electricity grids, urban agriculture, and public health systems, were considered holistically, rather than in isolation. Participants also identified and laid plans for near-term actions that entities engaged in the workshop and a broader stakeholder group can take towards improving the sustainability and quality of life within the Chicago region.

Workshop Organizers

This workshop was organized by Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago, Illinois CURES, and many other partners with support from the National Science Foundation.

VIEW WORKSHOP CHAIRS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS

 

SUSPIRE workshop organizer logos

Workshop Schedule

8:00 a.m.
Continental breakfast and networking (Atrium)
8:30 a.m. 
Welcome and conference goals (Hughes Auditorium)
9:00 a.m. 
Session 1:  Climate and natural disruptions

Conveners - Katherine Moore Powell, The Field Museum; Scott Collis, Argonne National Laboratory
9:05 a.m.
Session 1: Keynote lecture

Speaker - Sarah Murdock, Director, US Climate Resilience and Water Policy at The Nature Conservancy
 9:45 a.m.
 Session 1: Panel Discussion

Panelists - James Angel, Former State Climatologist for Illinois; Sarah Coulter, Calumet Collaborative; Elena Grossman, University of Illinois at Chicago; Jason Navota, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
11:00 a.m.
Breakout sessions on six diverse urban systems followed by reports back to the conference
(Includes break) Breakout room assignments for all participants will be available on the SUSPIRE Event2Mobile App
12:30 p.m.
Networking Lunch (Atrium)
1:45 p.m. 
Session 2:  Technological disruptions

Conveners - Douglas Pancoast, Robert Bosch LLC and School of the Art Institute of Chicago; George Wells, Northwestern University
 1:50 p.m.
Session 2: Keynote lecture
Keynote - Pete Beckman, Senior Computer Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory
 2:30 p.m.
Session 2: Panel Discussion

Panelists - Satya Basu, Perkins Will; John Edel, The Plant, Bubbly Dynamics; Elizabeth Irvin, Center for Neighborhood Technology; Mwende Lefler, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
3:45 p.m. 
Breakout sessions on six diverse urban systems followed by reports back to the conference

(Includes break) Breakout room assignments for all participants will be available on the SUSPIRE Event2Mobile App
5:30 p.m.
Networking reception

Please contact us with any questions about this event.


William Miller

Director of the Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience
Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Director, Master of Science in Biotechnology Program

Phone: 847-491-4828
wmmiller@northwestern.edu


Tara M. Sadera, CRA

Director of Operations, Center for Centers & Global Initiatives
McCormick School of Engineering

Phone: 847-467-1024
tara.sadera@northwestern.edu

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