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• 1 2021-09-14T15:45:06+00:00 Dr. Lindsay Waldrop 10 Schmid plain 2021-09-17T23:37:21+00:00
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Email: waldrop@chapman.edu
  Website:  https://waldroplab.com
  
  College: Schmid College of Science and Technology
  
  
  Overview of scholarly research/creative activity:  We explore the physical interface of biological structures and fluids using experimental and computational techniques. Biological structures do many important tasks (drive circulatory flow, mediate odor capture), and their shape and function depends on the physics of fluid-structure interactions and evolution. 
  
  Specific projects working on:   Our projects include: 
  - The evolution of odor capture by crustaceans. Olfaction is an important for animals in air and water, and the physics of odor capture helps shape these structures. Crustacean "noses" (or hair arrays) differ widely between air and water, as well as with the purpose for which they are used. We investigate the morphology of these structures, as well as the fluid dynamics mediating odor capture. 
  - The impact of selective breeding on odor capture by domesticated dogs. Odor capture is influenced by the shape of the skull in mammals, but it's unclear to what extend this matters to domesticated dogs at the lowest odor concentrations. Dogs have undergone extensive selective breeding, producing extreme skull morphologies, and we use CT and MRI scans to quantify these morphological differences. We also use computational modeling to estimate the lowest odor concentrations that different dogs are able to capture based on skull shape. 
  - The fluid flows produced by tubular hearts. Many animals drive circulatory flow with tubular, valveless hearts, including vertebrate embryos during the earliest stages of development. We use a mixture of experimental techniques to quantify flow in the hearts of sea squirts (our closest invertebrate relatives) and computational models to study how these hearts can function under different conditions. We hope to extend this to learn how evolution has shaped this system into the chambered hearts of vertebrates.
  
  Number of students looking to work with: 5 or more
  
  Time commitment for students:  Meet once a week with lab, meet once a week with project group, 4 hrs/week commitment
  
  Requirements for students who work with you:  Complete first year of biology
  
  When students are needed: Fall 2021, Spring and Summer 2022
  
  What would students be expected to do​​​​​​: Lab experiments, computational models
  
  Additional information:  No computational experience is necessary for computational projects!