Florence Thomas, PI This program combines research in biomechanics with an education component linking public, K-12, undergraduate, and graduate education. The research addresses how the morphology of the predominate organisms in a community affects biological processes at the scale of the whole community rather than the scale of the individual. Rates of nutrient uptake by whole communities, that vary in flexibility and morphology, will be measured over a range of water velocity in a research flume. Comparisons of measured uptake rates with those calculated using empirically derived equations, describing mass transfer to non-biotic surfaces, will be made to parameterize mass transfer relationships for biotic surfaces. The results can be applied to other problems concerning rates of transport within communities, such as feeding, fertilization success, and the transport of other dissolved compounds such as pollutants. The education component of the program includes: 1) the development of an interactive display in a public aquarium to interpret flume experiments for visitors and K-12 education programs; 2) research fellowships for minority students; and 3) incorporation of biomechanics/hydrodynamics into undergraduate courses.
