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Combining mathematical modeling, numerical simulation, and experiment: A case study in tiny insect flight
Mathematical Biology| Speaker: | Laura Miller, University of North Carolina |
| Location: | 2112 MSB |
| Start time: | Mon, Jan 25 2010, 3:10PM |
Description
A growing number of mathematical scientists use a combination
of experiments, simulation, and theory to understand complex problems in
the biological and physical sciences. The benefits of such a combined
approach are numerous. In this presentation, I will discuss how I have
used these methods to understand the aerodynamics of tiny insect flight.
My approach consists of measurements of morphology and kinematics in
actual animals, the use of physical models to measure forces and flow
velocities, analytical methods to understand related simplified
problems, and numerical simulations to understand the fluid dynamics of
unsteady three-dimensional systems. These approaches complement each
other in a variety of ways. Measurements of morphology and kinematics
are used to set appropriate parameter values for simulations and
physical models. In many cases, physical models can be used to study a
large range of parameter values that would be difficult to investigate
using computational fluid dynamics. Numerical simulations can be used to
obtain detailed descriptions of flow fields and to design biological
systems with complicated mechanical properties.