University of Miami
Department of Mathematics
Pendergraft Nola Lee Haynes Professor,
Tulane University
2023 Inductee to the National Academy of Sciences
will present
The Fascinating World of Flexible Filaments in Fluid
Thursday, March 7, 2024, 5:30pm
Lakeside Village Auditorium
1280 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146
Reception to follow the lecture
All interested persons are welcome to attend.
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 bacterial flagella propelling a cell body and 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 a mathematical and computational framework used to model 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 insect sperm flagella through narrow and tortuous female reproductive tracts.
The McKnight-Zame Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Jeffry Fuqua (Ph.D., UM, 1972). These annual lectures are named in honor of Professor James McKnight, who directed Dr. Fuqua's Ph.D. thesis, and Professor Alan Zame, who was a close mentor of Dr. Fuqua.
Related Event: Professor Fauci will also be giving a Mathematics Colloquium on March 8, 2024.
