Quantitative Biosciences Thesis Defense
Alexander Bo Lee
School of Biological Sciences
Advisor:
Dr. David Hu
Schools of Mechanical Engineering and Biological Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology
Open to the Community
Star-shaped bubbles and cubic feces: geometry through soft matter
Thursday, October 22nd, 2020
10:30am Eastern Time
Via BlueJeans: https://bluejeans.com/997947762
Commitee Members:
Dr. Julia Kubanek, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech
Dr. Donald Webster, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Tech
Dr. Peng Qiu, School of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech
Dr. Alexander Alexeev, School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech
Abstract:
In this thesis, we consider how mammals use soft tissue to generate geometric shapes out of non-living materials. The star-nosed mole sniffs for prey underwater by rapidly exhaling and inhaling bubbles without letting the bubbles pinch off. The bare-nosed wombat forms cubic feces, displaying 6 flat sides and 8 rounded corners. We develop mathematical models supported by simple table-top experiments to better understand how these mammals accomplish such amazing feats. These species control the fluids through interactions with solid tissue. Understanding these interactions could lead to innovations in chemical sensing and manufacturing.
