JOHN W.M. BUSH (USA) Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics (MIT)
PINC.9 SPEAKER: JOHN W.M. BUSH Have you ever wondered how water striders propel themselves across the surface of a pond? A research team headed by John Bush, professor of Applied Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, impressed the scientific world with a discovery that not only contradicted earlier theories, but also led to the invention of the Robostrider, a mechanical insect that can walk on water. Bush and his team discovered that water striders propel themselves by creating tiny vortices under the surface with their legs. Once the team had solved this problem, they set out to construct their mechanical bug, which Bush admits is “clearly less elegant than its natural counterpart. A water strider is incredibly fast and graceful. Ours is none of the above.”
Bush’s water strider research reflects a more general interest in fluid dynamics, which prompted him to set up a Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in the basement of MIT's Department of Mathematics – an ideal place to study intriguing phenomena such as mixing by bubbles, the dynamics of wine, fluid sheets and bells, and colliding jets. These studies have not only produced a wealth of scientific insight, but also a enchanting collection of imagery captured with a high-speed camera. Who would have thought that colliding water jets transform themselves into a fantastic fishbone?
PINC Lunch in the Lion Cage
On April 20th 2010 PINC organized a lunch in the lion cage of Circus Herman Renz in Sassenheim (Netherlands) for a small group of thirty PINC'ers.
See the pictures
PINC Tea - Concert in the Car Park
Watch the movie
