Annual Northwestern SPS Symposium
The 2026 Northwestern SPS Symposium will be October 8-10. Corresponding with Northwestern Reunion Weekend (Homecoming), the SPS Symposium is an opportunity to meet students outside of your courses, engage with exciting speakers, and experience the Chicago campus. Questions? Feel free to reach out at spsevents@northwestern.edu.
All event details, including full schedules, speaker bios, session information, and local information, can be found through our event platform Sched.
Schedule of Events
- Welcome Reception
Thursday, 10/8, 5:30 to 7 p.m. CT
Chicago campus - Prentice Harris Family Atrium
- Conference
Friday, 10/9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT
Chicago campus - Wieboldt Hall
- Homecoming Pre-party and Football Game
Saturday, 10/10, 9:30-11:30 a.m. CT
Evanston campus - Bat 17
Celebrating Northwestern's 175th Anniversary
This year Northwestern is marking 175 years of learning, discovery, and community, celebrating the people and ideas that have shaped the University and will define its future. Symposium and Homecoming embody Northwestern's belief that education and professional growth extend beyond the classroom. Convening students, faculty, and alumni from across the world, Symposium sustains the intellectual and professional communities that form the backbone of lifelong learning. Explore more at 175 Years - Northwestern University.
Welcome Reception
Thursday, October 8, 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. CT
Prentice Harris Family Atrium (250 E Superior St, Chicago)
Welcome Reception details
Kick off Symposium weekend by gathering with fellow SPS students, faculty, and staff. Come meet new people and reconnect with familiar faces.
Conference
Friday, October 9, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. CT
Wieboldt Hall (339 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago)
Conference details
The academic conference on Friday will feature academic presentations and discussion sessions presented by SPS guest speakers, faculty, and students. The event is a great opportunity to engage in topics not covered in a typical course, enrich your professional development, and connect with SPS faculty, staff, alumni, and fellow students.
Conference schedule
Conference Schedule
| 9–10am |
Breakfast
Wieboldt 704
|
| 9am–1pm |
Complimentary Professional Headshots
Wieboldt 7th floor lounge
|
| 10:00–10:40am |
Machine Learning for Early Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease Progression Using Multimodal ADNI Data
(Warda Saeed)
Wieboldt 711
|
Crisis, Coordination, and Adaptation: Organizational Theory in Action During COVID-19
(Mollie Foust)
Wieboldt 517
|
Transfer Mobility: The Transfer Portal, NIL, and the Reshaping of College Football Careers
(Max Mitchell)
Wieboldt 506
|
| 10:40–10:50am |
Break |
| 10:50–11:30am |
Comparative Accuracy of Reasoning v. Non Reasoning Models for CPT Coding Assignments
(Abdalrahman Katranji & Apoorv Saraogee)
Wieboldt 711
|
Community-Based Participatory Research: Tools & Techniques Using AI & Data
(Dr. Andy Sharma)
Wieboldt 506
|
Built to Compete: What You're Pretending Not to Know About Your Own Next Move
(Annette Corbin)
Wieboldt 517
|
Plain Language, Better Communication
(Kelly Hazenfield)
Wieboldt 712
|
| 11:30–11:40am |
Break |
| 11:40am–12:20pm |
When Healthcare AI Fails: Strengthening RAG Pipelines Against PHI Exposure, Hallucinations, and Compliance Risks
(Avik Datta)
Wieboldt 711
|
Panel Discussion - The Man, the Myth, and the Machine: Where Do We Go From Here?
(Dr. Abid Ali, Dr. Ankur Jain, Dr. Behice Ilhan, Frank Bernhard, and Michael Peri)
Wieboldt 506
|
Strategic Evolution in the NFL: The Offensive-Defensive Chess Match and Its Implications for Modern Football Analytics
(Aakash Adhia)
Wieboldt 517
|
| 12:20–1:30pm |
Lunch Break
Wieboldt 704
|
| 1:30–2:10pm |
Evaluating Sequencing and Tokenization Strategies for EHR Foundation Models
(Maddie Stapulionis)
Wieboldt 711
|
GenAI in Group Projects: Bridging Faculty Expectations and Student Realities
(Dr. Rachel Goc, Mark Schumacher)
Wieboldt 517
|
World Model Reinforcement Learning for Industrial Optimization
(David Van Dyke)
Wieboldt 506
|
AI Entrepreneurship: Why This Moment Matters
(Dr. Kimberly Chulis)
Wieboldt 712
|
| 2:10–2:20pm |
Break |
| 2:20–2:50pm |
Keynote - Your Graph is Your Moat: Knowledge and Context Are the Big AI Unlock
(Philip Rathle, Chief Technology Officer at Neo4j)
Wieboldt 704
|
| 2:50 - 3pm |
SPS Alumni Award Presentation and Closing Remarks
Wieboldt 704
|
Homecoming Pre-Party & Football Game
Saturday, October 10, time TBD
Bat 17 (1735 Benson Ave, Evanston, IL 60201)
Homecoming details
We’ll wrap up Symposium in Evanston with one of Northwestern’s most spirited traditions: Homecoming. Join fellow SPS students, faculty, alumni, and staff for a pre-party before the option of heading to the football game. This year, you’ll have the chance to experience Homecoming at the brand-new Ryan Field, the first NFL-type stadium in college football.
Pre-Party: Bat 17 (Evanston)
Bat 17 (Benson Avenue Tavern)1735 Benson Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CT
Football Game: Northwestern vs. Ball State
Ryan Field
1501 Central St
Evanston, IL 60208
Kickoff at 11:30 a.m. CT
Travel and Accommodations
Travel arrangements
Please refer to the Northwestern University Reunion Weekend's webpage on travel and accommodations. Preferred Chicago hotels can be found on this page. These are suggestions and accommodations made by the University to make booking your stay easier. You are not obligated to stay in these recommended hotels to attend the SPS Symposium. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements.
Parking on the Chicago campus
A discounted daily and evening rate will be available for parking at the Erie Ontario Garage and the Huron Superior Garage from 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. or daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You must park and exit within the specified time to receive the discounted rate. If you enter before the rate takes effect, or exit after the specified end time on the date of entry you will be charged the full public rate for the entire time you are parked. If parked for 12 hours or more, regular garage rates will apply. See the Chicago campus parking map.
Parking discount instructions (Chicago campus)
Parking discount instructions for the Chicago campus:
- Park in the eligible garage and obtain a parking ticket at entry.
- While at Symposium in Wieboldt Hall, obtain a QR code from the check-in desk, our event platform Sched, or the Erie-Ontario or Huron Superior Customer Service Offices.
- When ready to exit, go to a garage pay station on the ground level and insert your parking ticket.
- Once the pay station has stated parking fee, scan the QR code on the pay station scanner. Once scanned correctly, the pay station will reduce the parking fee.
- Pay the fee with payment card or cash following the machine instructions.
- Collect the parking ticket back from the machine after your transaction is complete.
- Insert the parking ticket at the exit gate as you leave the garage with your vehicle.
Parking on the Evanston campus
Homecoming Pre-Party parking and transportation
Public transit from Downtown Chicago to Benson Avenue Tavern (Bat 17)
There are several public transit options available from Downtown Chicago to Bat 17 in Evanston:
- CTA Purple Line: Get to the Purple Line and take it north to the Davis stop; Benson Avenue Tavern (Bat 17) is 0.2 miles from the station.
- Metra UP-N: From Ogilvie Transportation Center, take the Union Pacific North to Davis Street, then walk 0.2 miles to Benson Avenue Tavern (Bat 17).
- Make sure to check the train schedules ahead of time. The METRA typically runs once per hour during non-peak times.
Parking for the Pre-Party at Benson Avenue Tavern (Bat 17)
Parking options at Benson Avenue Tavern (Bat 17) include the 1800 Maple Self Park Garage (0.1 miles away) and metered, street parking outside of the restaurant (likely a 3-4 hour limit).
Transportation to the football game
Ryan Field
1501 Central St
Evanston, IL 60208
Transportation to/from the New Ryan Field
For those attending the Homecoming football game after the party, there are a few ways to get from Benson Avenue Tavern (Bat 17) to the game:
- Shuttles: Free shuttles will be available downtown, picking up at the corner of Church St and Chicago Ave (7 minute walk from Benson Avenue Tavern). See shuttle information.
- Rideshare: Fans may utilize the drop-off and pick-up zone in front of Haven Middle School located at 2417 Prairie Ave, Evanston, IL 60201. See rideshare information.
