Fish robotics: understanding the diversity of fishes using mechanical devices

George V. Lauder,
Henry Bryant Bigelow Professor
Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Harvard University
Tuesday, February 28, 10-11:30 am
ICTAS building on Stanger Street, Room 310

There are over 28,000 species of fishes, and a key feature of this remarkable evolutionary diversity is the variety of propulsive systems used by fishes for swimming in the aquatic environment. Fishes have numerous control surfaces which act to transfer momentum to the surrounding fluid. In this presentation I will discuss the results of recent experimental kinematic and hydrodynamic studies of fish locomotor function, and the implications for construction of robotic models of fishes.   Continue reading →

IDR Social and Seminar Series
Multidisciplinary Collaboration – Making it Work
Prof. Layne T. Watson
Monday, February 27th, 2012
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
ICTAS (Building I), Room 310

Layne T. Watson received the B.A. degree (magna cum laude) in psychology and mathematics from the University of Evansville, Indiana, in 1969, and the Ph.D. degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1974. He is a professor of computer science and mathematics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His research interests include fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, numerical analysis, optimization, parallel computation, mathematical software, image processing, and bioinformatics. He has worked for USNAD Crane, Sandia National Laboratories, and General Motors Research Laboratories and served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, East Lansing, before coming to Virginia Tech. He has published well over 290 refereed journal articles and 200 refereed conference papers. He is a fellow of the IEEE, the National Institute of Aerospace, and the International Society of Intelligent Biological Medicine.

Biomechanics of the Cornea and Sclera
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
2:45 – 3:45 PM
310 ICTAS
Dr.Thao (Vicky) Nguyen
The Johns Hopkins University

Abstract:
The transparent cornea and opaque sclera together form the primary structural component of the eye. Both tissues serve to protect the delicate internal ocular structures from external injuries and maintain an optimal ocular shape for vision. The mechanical properties of the tissues stem from the fibrous microstructure of the stroma, which consists of densely stacked lamellae of type I collagen fibrils embedded in a matrix of proteoglycans and elastin. Diseases such as keratoconus, myopia, and glaucoma have been associated with alterations in the fibrous microstructure and mechanical properties of the tissues. This seminar will present the development of inflation test methods with full-field displacement measurements to characterize the spatially varying, anisotropic, and time-dependent properties of the cornea and sclera, and constitutive and computational models to investigate the microstructural origins of these complex mechanical properties. Recent application of these methods to study the influence of scleral mechanics in the development of glaucoma will also be presented.

Bio:
Thao D. Nguyen obtained her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1998, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford in 2004. Upon receiving her degree, she worked as a research scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, CA then joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University as an Assistant Professor in 2007. Her research focuses on the biomechanics of soft tissues and the thermo-mechanics of polymers. Dr. Nguyen was awarded the 2008 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work on constitutive modeling of shape memory polymers.

Distinguished Lecturer Series:  Thursday, February 2nd, 10am – 11am
VT: 310 ICTAS
WFU: Radiology Lecture Hall, 1st floor MRI Bldg.

Title:  In situ Optical Sensing with Plasmonic Nanostructures: From Biotechnology to Energy Systems
Speaker:  Dr. Rizia Bardhan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

PDF of announcement for Dr. Bardhan’s Seminar