Mechanical Engineering MS Thesis Defense by Ms. Sarah Dulac
This project is inspired by the remarkable sensing ability observed in harbor seals, which can detect footprints left by upstream objects in water, even long after the object has passed. Harbor seals achieve this through their uniquely structured, flexible whiskers, which interact with wake flows to sense waterborne disturbances. This capability allows them to track and find prey even with their auditory and visual perception suppressed. The undulatory geometry of the whiskers has been identified as the mechanism by which seals suppress any self-generated flow noice in the wake of the whiskers while swimming forward. This unique ability has garnered significant scientific interest, particularly regarding the whiskers' sensing and drag-reducing properties. For more information (the total Abstract) please contact: b.aghazadeh@umassd.edu, or scunha@umassd.edu.
SENG-110 (Science & Engineering Building, Room 110 / Materials Science Lab)
Dr. Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh
508-999-8492
b.aghazadeh@umassd.edu