How do fish accelerate? Many researchers have studied the biomechanics of steady swimming, but there is much less known about acceleration, even though most fishes rarely swim steadily. In this project, we will be training to fish to accelerate rapidly toward a wand to receive a food reward. We will use high speed video from several angles to digitize the motion in 3D using a machine learning algorithm.
Our goal will be to compare acceleration performance in pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish. We have previously studied bluegill. Pumpkinseed are closely related, live in similar environments, but seem to swim differently - and perhaps more efficiently. We aim to determine if these differences extend to acceleration behavior.
We study fish, which are cool! We even go on fishing trips as a lab! The lab group has 3 PhD students, 1 MS student, and 4 current undergraduate researchers. We are a collaborative group that works together on many different projects, and we also collaborate with roboticists and applied mathematicians regularly. The lab environment is perfect for individuals who want to practice thinking critically, are willing to learn new techniques and software, and want to have fun while doing cool science! The lab integrates approaches from several different disciplines including physiology, biomechanics, neurobiology, functional morphology, fluid dynamics, and engineering. We mostly answer questions about fish swimming, and we study fish swimming at multiple levels: inside of the fish (muscles, bones, sensory systems), the whole fish (fin and body kinematics), and the interaction of the fluid and the fish (fluid dynamics). We even use models such as flapping foils, soft robotics, or computer simulations to answer questions about fish swimming!
Our work is important to understand how all animals move, including humans. It can help us understand the diversity of animal life, and can help to design better underwater robots. It also has implications for therapies for spinal cord injury and other human movement disorders.
