Biophysical Fluid Dynamics

Course content and structure

The course will begin with an introduction to hydrodynamically mediated transport phenomena in biology across a broad range of scales, from micro- to macroscopic. This will be followed by lectures on basic incompressible fluid dynamics, flexible and biological materials, and their mutual coupling. The course will then pursue two overlapping tracks: Michael J. Shelley will lead discussions on the modeling, computation, and analysis of fluid-body interactions, what we learn from such models, basic mechanisms of biological locomotion, and the modeling of soft active materials. Raymond E. Goldstein will lead discussions on biophysical applications and modeling, especially at the micro-scale, including the dynamic flagella, chemotaxis, microscale stirring and locomotion and their relation to biological viability. Both lecturers will discuss experiments and models on large-scale dynamic coherence in biological systems. A typical day during this two week course will consist of two general lectures by the principal speakers in the morning, each one-and-a-half hours in duration. Afternoons will be used for topical lectures by guest speakers, and for problem solving and brain-storming sessions.

The movement of fluid and nutrients by the flagellated surface of a Volvox algae colony (about 100 micrometers in diameter). Image courtesy of Raymond Goldstein

Guest Speakers. The course will feature guest lecturers including:

Silas Alben (Harvard)
Lisa Fauci (Tulane University)
Annette Peko Hosoi (MIT)
Thomas Powers (Brown University)
Idan Tuval (University of Arizona)
Z. Jane Wang (Cornell University)
Charles Wolgemuth (University of Connecticut)
Jun Zhang (New York University)