Research topics in Biophysics and Biophysics Education
Overview
Biophysics knowledge and learning:
PER (Physics Education Research): The Reeves group is a seed contributor to the Living Physics Portal. This is a web-based resource for curricular materials that allows traditional (that is not-biophysics) instructors to adapt biological content into their introductory courses. (With biophysics alumni Kara Zelinski and Nathalya Ramirez, and current GW graduate students Pi Nuessle and Rachel Stewart)
How do worms think? This is a neuroscience project to measure and understand neurological response in c. elegans by locally heating a spot on a nematodes body and measuring its escape response. To do this we have constructed a thermal stimulus microscope. This device sends an infrared laser beam into the objective of a microscope, through which c. elegans are viewed. The small, soil-dwelling nematodes will back away from the laser spot and their escape velocity and acceleration are measured by vireo analysis. (With neuroscience masters candidate, Haley Jetter, and biophysics student, Annika Schmid. Collaboration with the Damien O'Halloran (Biology))
Aerosol flow in real spaces. Here we are measuring aerosol flow in active, indoor spaces. A wireless network of particle sensors is disbursed throughout a room, and aerosols are introduced. As the aerosols spread, the sensors detect them and send the concentrations back to a central computer. In this way, real-time, spatial maps of concentration can be made into stop action videos to identify hot spots and characterize the clearance capability of a building's HVAC system. (With SEAS students, Donivyn Cruz, Treaux Jackson, and Rian Bogle, Biology student Brandon Garcia and Physics and Biophysics students Emily Sullivan and Grace Bradley. Collaboration with Chen Zeng (Physics) and Rahul Simha (computer science) and from the GWUMC Emergency Medicine Department, Tenagne Haile-Mariam, Neal Sikka, and Adam Rutenberg)
Photogrammetry in great apes. Still photos and video footage are used to quantify developmental stages and correlate those to behavior in great apes. A first step in analyzing hundreds of photos taken during a season field work is to calibrate the length scale on each one. We have collaborated with the McFarlin Group in the Anthropology Department to help them develop hardware to place laser scale markers in apes being photographed and then to use image analysis to automatically create scale bars for each photo.We plan to use machine learning to enable feature and gesture recognition to both size animals and classify their behaviors. (With biophysics alumnus Arthur Cronin and PhD student Jack Richardson of the McFarlin Group).
