| Michael
Dickinson |
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Research:
Complex and intellectually
challenging problems can be so commonplace that they escape
our attention. The research in my lab focuses on one such
everyday phenomenon - the motion of a fly through the air.
While the buzz of fly wings is more likely to elicit a sense
of annoyance than wonder, insect flight behavior links a series
of fundamental processes within both the physical and biological
sciences: neuronal signaling within brains, the dynamics of
unsteady fluid flow, the structural mechanics of composite
materials, and the behavior of complex nonlinear systems.
The aim of my research is to elucidate the means by which
flies accomplish their aerodynamic feats. A rigorous mechanistic
description of flight requires an integration of biology,
engineering, fluid mechanics, and control theory. The long
term goal, however, is not simply to understand the material
basis of insect flight, but to develop its study into a model
that can provide insight to the behavior and robustness of
complex systems in general. Students and post-docs fascinated
with any aspects of insect flight behavior, physiology, or
evolution are invited to join my laboratory. What is more
important than an interest in insect flight, however, is a
love of complexity and a commitment to interdisciplinary approaches.
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