RESEARCH
FLUID DYNAMICS & BIOLOCOMOTION
Gannets and Boobies are highly specialized speed plunge-diving seabirds. However, only four out of seven Suliformes are known to exhibit this hunting strategy. By examining the morphology of the birds and development of reduced order experiments and stability analysis, I highlight how Gannets and Boobies are capable of plunge-diving without neck injuries.
Inversely, a diverse group of animals leap out of water to escape predators, communicate, or simply for fun. Yet the physical mechanisms that enable this remain unknown. A scaling law dating back to Galileo states that terrestrial animals jump to a constant height, regardless of size. We develop a scaling law that aquatic jumpers follow a different set of rules that depends on their size and shape. I also designed a novel robot that uses a latch-mediated spring mechanism for low energy water-exit.
GRANULAR PHYSICS & BIOLOCOMOTION
Ongoing studies show that sand specialist lizards exhibit lower performance decrements than desert generalist when running up inclined sand. Locomotion through granular media is a challenging task due to its dual solid- and fluid-like nature. Through a series of physical experiments and simulations, I quantify the forces and grain dynamics to elucidate the effects of substrate angle, intrusion angle, and geometry. Furthermore, I examine the cooperative dynamics of multiple intruders interacting in granular media and sediments with goal of understanding how complex and diverse foot morphologies can improve locomotion on flowable terrains.
FLUID DYNAMICS & DISEASE TRANSMISSION
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought fluid dynamics of disease transmission to the public eye. Many respiratory diseases are transmitted through virus-laden aerosols and droplets generated by expiratory events, such as talking or sneezing. I developed a bio-informed sneezing apparatus that matches a human sneeze in droplet velocity, droplet size distribution, and exit angle. As such, this device is used as a platform to test the effects of mucus rheology on dispersal, social distancing in the classroom and public spaces, and thermodynamic effects on droplet-virus survival. Currently, we are collaborating with doctors at Baystate Medical Hospital to improve hospital guidelines in an effort to mitigate risk to healthcare workers and first responders.