Presidential Young Investigator Award

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Dr. Kier plans to continue his morphological and biomechanical analyses of the skeletal and muscular systems in animals that lack typical bony endoskeleton of vertebrates (fish, birds, and mammals) or hard exoskeletons of crabs and insects. These organisms use an intricate combination of muscles that work against each other or against hydrostatic pressure of fluid in the body cavity to produce rigidity. Mammals (including man) utilize similar elements for movement and use of the tongue, the trunk of the elephant, and erection of the penis and the nipples, etc. Dr. Kier plans to focus most of his studies on the musculature in the highly mobile and exquisitely controlled squid and cattlefish tentacles which will have practical applications in the design of prosthesis and in the area of robotics. More importrant, these results will provide insight to the organizations of these systems and shed light on the behavioral and neural mechanisms that control their operations.