Biofilms are viscoelastic materials. Biofilm viscoelasticity is an evolved property of these communities, and the production of multiple extracellular polymeric slime components appears to be a mechanism to ensure the development of biofilms with complex viscoelastic properties. However the importance of this attribute to the survival and persistence of these microbial communities is yet to […]
Preventing injury and restoring mobility following injury, both musculoskeletal and neuromuscular, is challenging. In recent years, the fields of biomechanics and clinical rehabilitation have informed the development of wearable devices and assessment tools that aid in rehabilitation and in maintaining mobility. Wearable exosystems are assistive devices that can target weakness in a specific joint or […]
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) has the promise of modulating deep brain structures with small focal spots. Early work by Fry (Science 1958) in modulating the visual system is reproducible and yielding valuable insights due to the extensive knowledge of the visual system and easy accessibility to study it. There is a multitude of new studies […]
Robots are traditionally designed with fixed physical hardware and control policies that make them specialized for repetitive tasks and structured environments. This talk discusses foundational work toward robots that "evolve on demand," morphing their bodies and adapting their behaviors to accommodate multiple tasks in diverse environments. First, I will introduce robotic structures made from stiffness-changing […]
Efficient and resilient coordination among autonomous agents plays an important role in various domains such as energy management, robotic swarms, autonomous vehicles and beyond. As these systems grow in complexity and scale, the challenge of achieving optimal coordination becomes increasingly difficult. The first part of the talk will focus on tackling scalability issues by leveraging […]
Biological wastewater treatment systems are ideal models with which to study "eco-systems biology" of microbial communities. Polyphosphate accumulating bacteria are used world-wide to remove phosphorus from wastewater but the most abundant phylogenetically defined group (Candidatus Accumulibacter) cannot be cultured in isolation. I will describe advances in our understanding of Accumulibacter ecophysiology based on comparative genomics […]
Optional make-up day (for February 19 classes)
Our next KEEN-sponsored Lunch-N'-Learn. These workshops are focused on engineering education topics that could benefit faculty instructors and our students. Lunch is provided. RSVP: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8v01bDKVbkkMQFU
Since the term "microscopic plastic" or "microplastics" first appeared in the scientific literature two decades ago, these tiny plastic particles have been detected in virtually every environmental compartment, as well as in various human and animal organs. The discovery of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) deposited in remote regions around the world and even in human […]
Faculty and staff of the Pratt School of Engineering are invited to the Spring General Meeting of the faculty. Use your Duke email address to RSVP by April 3 at: https://forms.office.com/r/hFGNXaf6HY
Optional make-up day (for February 20 classes)
Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are highly adaptable platforms for molecular biology and bioengineering. We have reported that bacterial pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa likewise use filamentous phages as structural components in bacterial biofilms - slimy, polymeric films that bacteria use to colonize airways, wounds, and other surfaces. In particular, Pf phages organize P. aeruginosa […]
