Friday Luncheon with Robert Full -- Sponsored by BIOZONE INTERNATIONAL
Special Event Price: $30
Date/Time: Friday
, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Fairmont Hotel , Room Regency Ballroom I
Presenter(s):
Robert Full Director, Poly-PEDAL Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biology
Track: Life Science, Physical Science
Target Audience: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13+
Description: Robert Full, Professor of Integrative Biology and Director of the Polypedal Laboratory at UC Berkeley, is an expert in comparative biomechanics and physiology. His internationally recognized research program has shown how examining a diversity of animals leads to the discovery of general principles of locomotion. General principles can then be used as hypotheses to explain the remarkable diversity in physiology and morphology in nature.
In this fascinating presentation, Dr. Full will show how cutting-edge research can be used in inquiry-based learning to promote critical thinking. He will reveal how extraordinarily diverse animals such as crabs, insects, lizards, dogs, and people move in a similar way — legged animals appear to bounce like pogo sticks. Cockroaches can become bipedal as they take 50 steps in a single second and ghost crabs seem to glide with aerial phases. Amazing feet permit creatures such as geckos to climb up walls at over a meter per second without using claws, glue or suction — just molecular forces. These fundamental principles of animal locomotion have inspired the design of creations in computer animation (A Bug's Life, Pixar), new control circuits, artificial muscles, self-clearing dry adhesives, and autonomous legged robots that may someday go to Mars. Revolutionary technological advances in materials and manufacturing promise to make nature a better teacher. Come see how diversity enables discovery!
