The Science of Flocks and Swarms
Presented by: Ajay Gopinathan, Professor, Physics, University of California, Merced
Flocks of birds, schools of fish, and swarms of ants are all around us. We have all seen and marveled at them. But why and how do they form? This session will introduce participants to the simple universal rules that give rise to collective flocking behavior and explore them with hands-on computer simulations. Preparation instructions will be sent before the session.
Professor Ajay Gopinathan is currently Professor and Chair of Physics and Co-Director of the NSF-CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines at the University of California, Merced. He did his schooling and undergraduate degree in India and received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Chicago. Following this, he worked at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Santa Barbara before arriving at UC Merced as one of the first few faculty members in Physics. Professor Gopinathan’s current research involves using theoretical and computational methods to understand biological processes such as the movement of material inside cells, the growth and division of bacteria, and the migration of groups of cancer cells.
July 19 & July 21/ These sessions occur over 2 days
10:00 AM- 11:00 AM PT
Target Audience: Elementary School Students (5th and 6th graders)
