From Urination to Georgia Tech's First Ig Nobel Prize

Presented on October 19, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons - Room 144.Dr. David Hu is a mechanical engineer who “puts numbers onto animals,” discovering how the natural world can teach us to build a better mouse trap. Originally from Rockville, Maryland, he earned degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering from M.I.T., and is now Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biology, and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Georgia Tech. He has published in Nature and Science and his work has been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, Good Morning America, Highlights for Children, the IMAX film Fire Ants 3D: The Invincible Army, and recently on the NOVA series Gross Science.Runtime: 65:14 minutesHow long does an elephant urinate? How quickly does a dog shake? How many eyelashes does a camel have? Asking a new and sometimes strange question is arguably the most important step in advancing science, and not any less so if you study animal movement, a field at least as old as Leonardo da Vinci’s pioneering observations. Asking questions is not only fun, but can also lead to unexpected scientific discoveries. In this talk, I will discuss my journey with wacky science, how it led me from being peed on while changing a diaper, to this year’s Ig Nobel Prize