CAREER: Locomotion Through Particulate Environments by Invertebrates and Vertebrates

在这个项目中，PI将阐明两种新的生物机制，使生命系统与颗粒环境相抗衡。飞虫必须避开或通过雨和雾中的飞沫。较大的生物利用睫毛从眼睛等脆弱器官中过滤含有颗粒的液体。与研究工作并行，PI将使用这些熟悉的和高度可视化的主题来自然地指导教育计划，以扩大生物物理学的范围，超越传统的细胞水平，并增加其对所有受众的可见性。PI将通过实验研究中尺度物体（蚊子和睫毛）与周围流体介质中颗粒的相互作用。以下基于初步工作的假设将被检验。昆虫通过翻滚身体来减少撞击的冲击力，从而在与雨滴的碰撞中幸存下来。这种能力的普遍性和局限性将在昆虫大小的范围内进行检查。通过高速视频，PI观察到蚊子在雾中无法稳定飞行。一个原本强健的系统的失败令人惊讶。PI假设来自它们喉套的陀螺仪信号被雾滴的惯性冲击和随后的水积聚所产生的信号所克服。这一假设提出了一种新的杀虫剂作用机制，引起了他在海军昆虫学中心的合作者的兴趣。(3)研究蚊子如何利用从翅膀上获取的高频振动能量，将收集在身上的露水洒下。PI将对脊椎动物表面的颗粒沉积进行平行研究，假设哺乳动物和鸟类的睫毛会转移流入的气流，以减少颗粒在眼表面的沉积。PI将从代表性不足的群体中招募本科生、高中生和教师。他将在GT设立摄影实习，增加美学和科学摄影在实验室的使用，以促进科学与公众的交流。他还将教授“与粒子一起生活”，这是一门关于运动生物物理学的新实验课程。他将与一名10年级的老师一起开发“飞机上的蛇”，这是教授乔治亚州物理标准的一系列教育模块之一。PI将在我校举办为期一周的“湿周”（Wet Week）研讨会，通过接待学生和教师来测试和传播这些模块。

In this project the PI will elucidate two novel biological mechanisms for living systems to contend with particulate environments. Flying insects must avoid or negotiate droplets in rain and mist. Larger organisms use eyelashes to diver particle-laden flows from delicate organs such as the eyes. In parallel with the research efforts, the PI will use these familiar and highly visual topics to naturally guide an educational program to broaden the scope of biophysics past the traditional cellular level and increase its visibility to all audiences. The PI will study experimentally the interactions of mesoscale objects (mosquitoes and eyelashes) with particulates in a surrounding fluid medium. The following hypotheses based on preliminary work will be tested. (1) Insects survive collisions with raindrops by tumbling their bodies to reduce impact impact force. The universality and limits of this ability will be examined across a range of insect sizes. (2) Using high-speed video, the PI observes that mosquitoes are unable to stabilize their flight in fog. The failure of an otherwise robust system is surprising. The PI hypothesizes that gyroscopic signals from their halteres are overcome by signals created by inertial impact of fog drops and subsequent water accumulation. This hypothesis suggests a novel mechanism for the action of pesticides, and is of interest to his collaborators at the Navy Entomological Center. (3) Investigate how mosquitoes shed dew collected on their bodies using high frequency vibrational energy harvested from their wing flaps. The PI will conduct a parallel study on particle deposition on vertebrate surfaces, hypothesizing that mammalian and avian eyelashes divert incoming flows to reduce particle deposition onto the ocular surface. The PI will recruit undergraduates, high-school students and teachers from underrepresented groups. He will establish a photography internship at GT to increase the use of aesthetic and scientific photography in labs to facilitate scientific communication to the public. He will also teach "Living with particles," a new lab course on biophysics of locomotion. With a 10th-grade teacher, he will develop "Snakes on a Plane," one of a series of educational modules to teach Georgia Physical Standards. The PI will test and disseminate these modules by hosting students and teachers during "Wet Week," a weeklong workshop at our institution.