Pak to explore how bacteria swim and navigate their environment with robophysical modeling
Professor On Shun Pak (Mechanical Engineering; by courtesy, Applied Mathematics) has been awarded $232,786 by the National Science Foundation for his project, “Collaborative Research: Robophysical Modeling of Bacterial Swimming Motion.” This interdisciplinary research fuses fluid dynamics, microbiology, and robotics to investigate how bacteria swim and navigate complex environments. Pak will integrate theoretical and computational models with experiments (in collaboration with Professor Roberto Zenit from Brown University) to advance our understanding of bacterial motility—an essential behavior of one of the most ubiquitous and important life forms on Earth. The project outcomes will contribute to the long-term goal of translating fundamental knowledge of bacterial motility into future breakthroughs in biomedical applications and technological innovations.