From crawling to inching, evolutionary biomechanics of caterpillar locomotion
This project explores how different species of caterpillars—despite all being soft-bodied—have evolved unique ways of crawling and climbing. Some species use many prolegs for support, while others, like inchworms, have lost prolegs and move with dramatic bridging motions. Using high-speed video and biomechanical analysis, we will study how body size, proleg arrangement, and locomotion style are related. By integrating biomechanics with evolutionary biology, we aim to understand how soft-bodied locomotion has evolved and what physical constraints shape these movements. This research is perfect for students interested in animal biomechanics, evolution, or experimental fieldwork and lab analysis!
This research is based in a fun lab that emphasizes curiosity and independence. We have a very wide range of facilities that includes a full neurophysiology suite, cell culture and molecular tools and a "project room" for building whatever you need for your experiments. Although the live animal work is focused on the insect Manduca sexta, we also encourage students to think about the wider implications of their research. With this in mind ,we build soft robots that can squeeze through difficult terrain and grow insect cells in culture for possible use as living actuators or food production.