Lecture: “Flexible Filaments: Just Go With The Flow”
Speaker: Dr. Lisa Fauci
March 27, 7–8:30 p.m., Cleveland Hall 30, WSU Pullman
Reception: 8:30–9 p.m., Neill Hall 216
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Abstract: The motion of waving or rotating filaments in a fluid environment is a common element in many biological and engineered systems. Examples at the microscale include chains of diatoms moving in the ocean, bacterial flagella propelling a cell body, as well as engineered helical nanorobots designed to deliver drugs to tumors. Complex fluid environments, such as networks of polymers, can have dramatic effects upon the dynamics of microorganisms as they move through mucus or tissues. In this talk we will present mathematical and computational modeling insights into these viscosity-dominated flows. We will investigate a few intriguing systems: actin-like fibers in straining flows that spontaneously buckle into helices, helical filaments that penetrate and break a polymeric network, and the journey of extremely long and flexible sperm flagella through narrow and tortuous female reproductive tracts.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Lisa Fauci received her BS at Pace University, and later her MS and PhD at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University in 1986. She then joined the faculty of Tulane University in the same year. She has held visiting positions at both the University of Utah and New York University, and has lectured on biological fluid dynamics throughout the world.
