Physics Colloquium: Active muscular hydraulics

The Department of Physics is pleased to welcome Dr. Suraj Shankar for an in-person colloquium. Dr. Shankar is a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows.  Suraj is a theoretical physicist, who works on various problems in soft matter, nonequilibrium statistical physics and biophysics. He received a Ph.D. in physics from Syracuse University. This presentation is part of the faculty search for an Assistant Professor of Soft Matter and/or Biological Physics.

Abstract:

Muscles are the primary effector of all animal behavior and locomotion, yet the limits of its performance are poorly understood. By adopting a spatiotemporally integrated and multiscale view of muscle, Shankar will show how a minimal description of muscle as a soft, active and wet solid is sufficient to describe its mechanical, dynamic and energetic properties. He will highlight the presence of intracellular fluid flow (cellular hydraulics) which in conjunction with the kinetic cycling of molecular motors eventually dictates the ultimate limits of muscularcontraction across the animal kingdom. Furthermore, Shankar will demonstrate that muscle naturally exhibits an unusual mechanical response that is nonreciprocal, hence uncovering a new mode of muscular power generation from periodic strain cycles alone. He will conclude by highlighting the consequences of this work for physiology.

To join the seminar remotely, please email Kevin Garvey for the Zoom information.