Exquisite energetics of the ultrafast: an interdisciplinary nexus of discovery

with Sheila Patek, Professor of Biology, Duke University

Friday, April 17th, 2025, 12:30-1:30 PM EST
Goodwin Hall 190

Organisms have evolved marvelous mechanisms to transform small amounts of energy into extraordinarily intense events—some of which are among the most energetically dense events known to science.  These mechanisms incorporate elastic mechanisms and latches to compress the duration of energy release, often by many orders of magnitude. I will explore the realm of ultrafast organisms through the lens of energy flow—from structures and materials to the environment.  In this vibrant interdisciplinary field, organisms such as mantis shrimp, trap-jaw ants, and snapping shrimp reveal the evolutionary and mechanical principles underlying re-usable, low energy mechanisms wielding exquisite energetic cascades.

Sheila Patek, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biology at Duke University. Dr. Patek received an A.B. with honors in Biology from Harvard University followed by a Ph.D. in Biology from Duke University. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science at UC Berkeley. Dr. Patek has received many honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the George A. Bartholomew Award for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology, and a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University. Dr. Patek serves as the Deputy Editor in Chief of the Journal of Experimental Biology, the leading journal for comparative physiology and biomechanics. She founded and currently leads the multi-university Muser Software effort to enhance transparency, access, and interdisciplinarity of university research opportunities.