The faculty talks throughout the program provided perspectives from various areas of science. Many of the professors’ enthusiasm and passion for their research were contagious and made me excited for the research that I was conducting. My favorite talk was by Dr. Sheila Patek and her research on mantis shrimp and trap-jaw ants.
Dr. Patek really liked marine life and was intrigued by the physics of swimming by fish. She was also interested in the sound production of spiny lobsters, which she studied in her later years of research. Eventually, her journey led her to mantis shrimp, which her current research is focused on. Mantis shrimp have a smasher that they use to crack open snail shells and other foods. This smasher is no ordinary claw – it has an incredible force that can be likened to that of a speeding bullet. Dr. Patek was intrigued by the physics behind this tool and through careful investigation, she discovered that there was a cavitation during a strike. Each strike had 4 impact forces: impact, cavitation, impact, cavitation. What was interesting was that there were huge tradeoffs: for the mantis shrimp, the traded their slow speed for an astronomical amount of force (massive amounts of power) in order to catch and eat prey.
Dr. Patek also discussed the amazing trap-jaw ants, which use their jaws as springs to jump and bite. I thought her presentation was fascinating because her research field unites biology, physics, and math, a combination that I thought could not exist. She utilizes physics and math to understand the structure and biology underlying mantis shrimp’ smasher. While her research was quite intriguing, I really enjoyed every faculty talk because it exposed me to the various areas one can pursue in science. Every research scientist also emphasized the importance of finding “the one mentor/adviser” who will be willing to support you and encourage, and after 8 weeks with my wonderful mentor, I can truly say that having an encouraging and dedicated mentor really does influence your perspective and experience with research.
