Our next Lunch & Learn will be held Thursday, Nov. 21, in Howey N201/202. Lunch will be served at 12:00 noon followed by a talk from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.
The speaker for this event will be Soohwan Kim from the Hu Lab.
Title: Floating Worms and Everting Worms
Abstract: In this talk, we explore flotation of California Blackworms and eversion mechanics of Bloodworms. The California blackworm L. variegatus generally lives underwater but it can extend its posterior end to the water surface to breathe. In this experimental study, we visualize the meniscus shape for blackworms and plastic rods and compare them to theoretical predictions. We measure the dimensionless numbers including Bond number, specific gravity, and safety factor for blackworms, leeches, and other common Hyponeuston. Bloodworms possess an eversible proboscis, normally concealed within their bodies, that extends outward to attack prey or burrow through soil. We model the bloodworm as a pneumatic system, where contraction of circular muscles elevates internal pressure, initiating eversion. By conducting tensile tests on bloodworm tissues, we assess the safety factor of the process. Finally, based on kinematic analysis, we compare the dimensionless numbers with other everting species.
