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SUMMARY:MechE Colloquium: The fluid mechanics of plankton
DTSTART:20180320T121500
DTEND:20180320T131500
DTSTAMP:20260917T121032Z
UID:997d20cbf0939517d199b2f7620b73e034c870edcddb340e37687435
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Roman Stocker\, Institute of Environmental Engineering\,
  ETH Zürich\nAbstract:\nAlthough we now know that microorganisms rule the
  oceans - controlling productivity and biogeochemical cycles - we largely 
 ignore how they are affected by typical fluid flow conditions. For example
 \, microbes are routinely exposed to turbulence\, yet physicists have igno
 red microbes and biologists have ignored turbulence. Here I present microf
 luidic and millifluidic experiments\, combined with mathematical models\, 
 to show that fluid flow can have profound effects on the biomechanics and 
 the ecology of swimming microorganisms.\n\nI illustrate this through a ser
 ies of examples\, and will focus in particular on 'gravitaxis'\, the tende
 ncy of many phytoplankton species to swim along the direction of gravity. 
 I will show that\, in the presence of flow\, gravitaxis results in intense
  clustering of cells in layers and patches\, akin to those often observed 
 by oceanographers\, which can have profound effects on plankton population
  dynamics. Intriguingly\, plankton seem to 'know fluid mechanics' and I wi
 ll present recent evidence that they are able to actively evade turbulence
  by sensing the simplest among the cues inherent in small-scale turbulent 
 eddies… In addition to representing a new class of active particle prob
 lems that promises to keep the fluid mechanician busy for some time to com
 e\, these processes are environmentally important because they affect the 
 ecological dynamics and biogeochemical consequences of some of the most im
 portant players in aquatic ecosystems. \n\nBio:\nRoman Stocker is a Profe
 ssor at the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETH Zurich. Roman's 
 research focuses on environmental processes\, particularly in the oceans: 
 from harmful algal blooms to coral bleaching\, to oil spills\, to the carb
 on cycle. Roman has pioneered the use of new technology - microfluidics - 
 to zoom in on the smallest players behind these processes: the microbes. R
 oman’s work has contributed to reveal their importance\, frequently app
 earing in high-profile scientific journals including Science\, Nature and 
 PNAS\, and being featured in popular media including the BBC\, CNN\, and t
 he New York Times. When he is not busy creating new technology to underst
 and our environment\, Roman is a keen traveler\, enthusiastic scuba-diver\
 , and proud father. More about him at http://stockerlab.ethz.ch/. 
LOCATION:MED 0 1418 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MED%200%201418
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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