Making Waves: Using Dynamics to Understand Behavior of Cells and Tissues
Presented by Professor Philip Bayly
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science,
Washington University in St. Louis
Waves and oscillations may be intrinsic to a mechanical system, or induced to probe the constitutive relationships between loading (stress) and deformation (strain). The first part of the talk will describe how we measure the mechanical behavior of brain tissue in vivo, using tagged magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR elastography (MRE) to visualize shear waves in the brain. The second part of the talk will focus on wavelike oscillations in cilia and flagella: thin, flexible organelles that beat rhythmically to propel cells or move fluid. We have developed new mathematical models of flagella motion, and found new solutions to existing models which can be used to evaluate the plausibility of long-standing hypotheses. Both these projects exploit specialized imaging and image processing techniques, combined with models of the underlying mechanics, to provide new information on the behavior of these important biological systems.
Philip V. (Phil) Bayly is The Lilyan and E. Lisle Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Bayly earned an A.B. in Engineering Science from Dartmouth College, an M.S. in Engineering from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University. Before pursuing his doctorate, he worked as research engineer for the Shriners Hospitals and as a design engineer for Pitney Bowes. Dr. Bayly has been a member of the faculty at Washington University since 1993, and Chair since 2008. His research involves the study of nonlinear dynamic phenomena in mechanical and biological systems. He is particularly interested in imaging waves and oscillations to understand the mechanics of cells and biological tissues. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.