Public Welcome to Presentation on Nature’s Mechanical Devices
Contact: Sara Lindsay, School of Marine Sciences, 207-581-2739;
Nick Houtman, Dept. of Public Affairs, 207-581-3777.
ORONO– Barbed wire, chain saw cutters and the Wright brothers’ airplane may be mechanical devices, but they are part of a story inspired by nature’s own handiwork. Author Steven Vogel will tell that story as part of a public presentation, Copying Nature’s Mechanical Devices: History vs. Mythology, at the University of Maine at 7:30 p.m., October 14.
Vogel is the James B. Duke Professor of Zoology at Duke University and the author of such books as Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle and Cats’ Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People. A reception will follow his presentation which will be in room 100, D. P. Corbett Business Building.
Vogel will also give a seminar, To Twist or Bend? Flexibility in the Face of Flow, about his research at 3:10 p.m. Oct. 15 in room 102, Murray Hall. His research interests center on understanding life in moving fluid. He authored a seminal book on the topic: Life in Moving Fluids: The Physical Biology of Flow.
“Dr. Vogel can speak to a broad audience, and we hope that his seminars will promote conversation among the diverse scientific community at the University of Maine and nearby colleges and research institutions,” says Sara Lindsay, assistant professor in the School of Marine Sciences.
Sponsors include the University of Maine Chapter of Sigma Xi, with additional support from The Cultural Affairs Committee, Office of the V.P. for Research, Office of the Provost, School of Marine Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Physics and Astronomy.