About the event

Department of Mathematics & Statistics Ostrom Lecture

Dr. Lisa Fauci

Pendergraft Nola Lee Haynes Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics, Tulane University

A Closed-loop Neuromechanical Model Of
Locomotion Of Lampreys With Spinal Injuries

Abstract: In some vertebrates such as lampreys, swimming function can be regained after spinal injuries, but the exact mechanism of this recovery is not well understood. One hypothesis is that amplified proprioceptive (body-sensing) feedback can allow an injured lamprey to regain functional swimming even if the descending signal is lost. Here we present a multiscale model of an undulatory swimmer whose neural signaling is driven by a phase oscillator model that is fully coupled to a viscous, incompressible fluid. We examine the effects of amplified feedback on swimming behavior, and show that in some cases, feedback amplification below a spinal lesion is sufficient to partially or entirely restore effective swimming behavior. This is joint work with Christina Hamlet (Mathematics, Bucknell University), Eric Tytell (Biology, Tufts University) and Jen Morgan (Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hole).

Speaker Bio: Dr. Fauci received her BS at Pace University, and later her MS and PhD at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University in 1986. She then joined the faculty of Tulane University in the same year. She has held visiting positions at both the University of Utah and New York University, and has lectured on biological fluid dynamics throughout the world.

The T.G. Ostrom Lecture

The annual T. G. Ostrom Lecture brings internationally renowned mathematics scholars to the WSU Pullman campus for a public lecture paired with a department colloquium with faculty and staff.

The lecture honors the late professor emeritus Theodore G. Ostrom who retired from WSU in 1981 after serving 21 years as a WSU Mathematics Department faculty member.