Workshop: Mathematical Fluids, Materials, and Biology

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support for researchers to participate in a workshop on "Mathematical Fluids, Materials, and Biology" at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on June 2019. The three-day workshop will be arranged thematically, with speakers covering topics in fluid-structure interactions and biological propulsion, complex fluids and active matter, and intracellular mechanics and other biological applications. Such small workshops also provide a critical means for students and postdocs to network with faculty members; the workshop will include a poster session to improve student and postdoc visibility. Information about the event can be found at: https://mcaim.math.lsa.umich.edu/event/fluids-materials-and-biology/ The form and function of flexible structures immersed in fluids are of great importance on a vast range of length scales, from the reduced drag on leaves which fold in the wind, to the squeezing transport of blood cells through capillaries. Theoretical and numerical analysis of fluid-structure interactions have been tremendously successful and have led to the development of now standard techniques used in all areas of applied mathematics. The field has seen a surge of activity in the last decade due to intersections with biology and soft matter. Meanwhile, the peculiar and intricate behaviors of complex fluids, those fluids which respond to deformation not only with viscous dissipation but also with shear-dependent viscosity, elasticity, anisotropy (direction-dependent response) and other effects is an exciting and active area of its own, particularly as applied to biological systems. This is a particularly vibrant area of multi-disciplinary science, requiring sophisticated mathematical understanding and novel computational techniques to push the field further towards problems of immediate interest for applications in biology, engineering, and human health services. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.