Jellyfish-inspired Engineering

Abstract:

Jellyfish are the oldest, simplest, and arguably most successful species of swimming animal in the world. Yet they are primarily considered a nuisance on beaches or, at best, an attraction for aquarium-goers. In this talk, Dr. John Dabiri will describe how a biology-inspired approach to engineering has placed jellyfish at the center of efforts to build next-generation underwater vehicles, design more versatile wind power, and even to diagnose heart failure. In the process, he takes engineering measurement techniques underwater, using SCUBA diving methods to study jellyfish and leveraging robotic hybrids of the animals themselves to explore our oceans.

About the Speaker:

John O. Dabiri is the Centennial Chair Professor at Caltech, with appointments in the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT) and Mechanical Engineering. A recipient of the National Medal of Science, Dabiri takes inspiration from unexpected biological systems like jellyfish and fish schools, combining biological experiments and field work with concepts from fluid mechanics to impact technologies ranging from wind energy to biomedicine. Current research interests include biological fluid dynamics in the ocean, the physics of turbulence transition, and development of new measurement techniques.

Dabiri is a MacArthur Fellow and a Fellow of the American Physical Society as well as the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Other honors include the Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award for Aquatic Sciences, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award, and being named one of MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35” as well as one of Popular Science’s “Brilliant 10.”

Dabiri serves in a variety of science and technology advisory roles, including the Board of Directors of NVIDIA Corporation and the Board of Trustees of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. He served on President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Energy Secretary Granholm’s Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), and as a founding board member of the Hypothesis Fund for bold ideas in basic science.

Contact

  Margaret Byron
  mzb5025@psu.edu
  1-814-360-2437