Meets the following requirements: ES QR   

Why do we get shorter and wrinklier with age?  Were dinosaurs warm-blooded?  How do grasshoppers hop?  These diverse questions are all within the realm of biomechanics.  A knowledge of biomechanics, or the ways in which plants and animals cope with the laws of physics, can promote an understanding of organisms at all levels of organization, from molecules to ecosystems.  In this course we explore several areas of physical science, including mechanical engineering, materials science, and fluid dynamics, as a means of gaining insight into the biological world.  Students attend two lecture sessions per week and one three-hour lab session for discussions of current research in biomechanics, review of homework assignments, and laboratory observations or demonstrations.  Evaluations are based on participation in discussions, weekly problem sets, two term papers, and a final exam. 

Level: Intermediate/Advanced.  Prerequisites:  One college-level course in Biology and one college-level course in Math or Physics or permission of instructor.  Class limit: 16.  Offered every other year.  Lab fee: $15.  *ES* *QR*