Come join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab every Friday for Fossil Fridays! 

Become a fossil hunter and help discover how vertebrate communities have changed through time. Experience firsthand what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens! 

You will be picking and sorting 3,000 to 30,000-year-old fossil specimens from rock matrix that has been brought back from Natural Trap Cave, WY. These specimens are part of many research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that used to live in North America. 

You are welcome to participate anytime that is convenient, with no commitment necessary. In fact, you can drop in or leave anytime within the two-hour timeframe. All are welcome, so bring your friends! 

If you are accompanying a minor (under 18), please be sure that a guardian/chaperone is with them at all times and that there is no less than one adult for every two minors.

For more information join the mailing list and/or contact Katie Slenker (kslenker3@gatech.edu) or Jenny McGuire (jmcguire@gatech.edu).

​* No T. rex actually helped with the excavations of Natural Trap Cave as their arms would be much too small.

Come join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab every Friday for Fossil Fridays! 

Become a fossil hunter and help discover how vertebrate communities have changed through time. Experience firsthand what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens! 

You will be picking and sorting 3,000 to 30,000-year-old fossil specimens from rock matrix that has been brought back from Natural Trap Cave, WY. These specimens are part of many research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that used to live in North America. 

You are welcome to participate anytime that is convenient, with no commitment necessary. In fact, you can drop in or leave anytime within the two-hour timeframe. All are welcome, so bring your friends! 

If you are accompanying a minor (under 18), please be sure that a guardian/chaperone is with them at all times and that there is no less than one adult for every two minors.

For more information join the mailing list and/or contact Katie Slenker (kslenker3@gatech.edu) or Jenny McGuire (jmcguire@gatech.edu).

​* No T. rex actually helped with the excavations of Natural Trap Cave as their arms would be much too small.

Come join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab every Friday for Fossil Fridays! 

Become a fossil hunter and help discover how vertebrate communities have changed through time. Experience firsthand what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens! 

You will be picking and sorting 3,000 to 30,000-year-old fossil specimens from rock matrix that has been brought back from Natural Trap Cave, WY. These specimens are part of many research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that used to live in North America. 

You are welcome to participate anytime that is convenient, with no commitment necessary. In fact, you can drop in or leave anytime within the two-hour timeframe. All are welcome, so bring your friends! 

If you are accompanying a minor (under 18), please be sure that a guardian/chaperone is with them at all times and that there is no less than one adult for every two minors.

For more information join the mailing list and/or contact Katie Slenker (kslenker3@gatech.edu) or Jenny McGuire (jmcguire@gatech.edu).

​* No T. rex actually helped with the excavations of Natural Trap Cave as their arms would be much too small.

Abstract: All voluntary movement in humans and many other biological creatures is powered by skeletal muscle and controlled by motor neurons. The neuromuscular system is remarkable for its ability to efficiently generate large forces while adapting form and function to changing environmental stimuli. The Raman Lab leverages tissue engineered models of the neuromuscular system to understand and treat diseases that limit human mobility, and to power robots that dynamically sense and adapt to their environments. This talk will discuss our work in: 1) Developing tools to manipulate forces within neuromuscular tissues, thus advancing fundamental understanding of how mechanical stimuli during exercise mediate adaptation and remodeling; 2) Creating predictive design frameworks and fabrication methodologies to deploy robust muscle-actuated machines that leverage the adaptability and sustainability of living tissues. RamanLab.mit.edu

Abstract: I present two disparate studies at opposite ends of the animal size range. On rocky shores, splashpool copepods thrive in a hypervariable physical environment where temperatures can fluctuate 20°C in a day, oxygen concentration ranges from near zero to three times saturation, and salinity varies from near zero to 180 ppt. Faced with the correlated co-occurrence of these multiple stressors, Tigriopus californicus has evolved an innovative physiological strategy in which the response to one stressor automatically ameliorates the effects of another. These counteracting effects pose problems for predicting the consequences of climate change. Rorqual whales grow to extraordinary size by engulfing entire swarms of fish or krill, then rapidly concentrating prey by filtering them through a baleen sieve. Could accumulated krill clog the filter? Measurements of the hydraulic resistance of accumulated krill, coupled to a model incorporating the pressure applied to water in the buccal pouch by muscles and blubber, suggest that sieving works only if a fraction of the baleen window can be maintained clear of krill. It is unclear how that might be achieved. Important questions remain as to how baleen whales feed.

There will be a book sale and signing for two of Dr. Mark Denny's books: How the Ocean Works and Ecological Mechanics

RSVP HERE

Abstract: Our lab examines the interface between neurons and immune cells. Specifically, we study a large family of G protein-coupled receptors, called Mrgprs, and their role in pathological pain and itch. Recently, we found that the mast cell-specific receptor, MrgprB2, and its human orthologue, MRGPRX2, contribute to thermal and mechanical pain. In this seminar, I will present data on the role of these receptors in pathologies ranging from migraine to neuropathic pain.

Abstract: Birds are diverse and agile vertebrates best known for their agility in flight, yet ground birds have a long evolutionary legacy as agile terrestrial bipeds. In the Neuromechanics lab, we use ground birds as animal models to study the integration of mechanics and sensorimotor control for agile bipedal locomotion. Study of avian bipedalism provides opportunities to reveal principles of scaling of gait dynamics with body size, relationships between morphology and neuromechanical function, and the multiple solutions to the fundamental challenge of sensorimotor delay for stable and agile movement. We also collaborate with engineers to enable integrative approaches to understanding animal locomotion, and to apply insights from animal locomotion to biologically inspired robots. Legged locomotion involves abrupt transitions in load between the swing and stance phases and requires precise control of leg-substrate interactions to provide body weight support, maintain stability and avoid injury in varied terrain. In this seminar I will highlight findings from experimental biomechanics and in vivo muscle function that reveal how bipedal animals make effective use of compliance, damping, and postural stability mechanisms to achieve robustly stable and agile performance. I will also discuss how our experimental findings from ground birds have been tested in BirdBot as a physical model of avian bipedal locomotion.

Come join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab every Friday for Fossil Fridays! 

Become a fossil hunter and help discover how vertebrate communities have changed through time. Experience firsthand what it is like to be a paleontologist, finding and identifying new specimens! 

You will be picking and sorting 3,000 to 30,000-year-old fossil specimens from rock matrix that has been brought back from Natural Trap Cave, WY. These specimens are part of many research projects examining how the community of species living around Natural Trap Cave has changed since the extinction of the cheetahs, lions, dire wolves, mammoths, camels, horses, and other megafauna that used to live in North America. 

You are welcome to participate anytime that is convenient, with no commitment necessary. In fact, you can drop in or leave anytime within the two-hour timeframe. All are welcome, so bring your friends! 

If you are accompanying a minor (under 18), please be sure that a guardian/chaperone is with them at all times and that there is no less than one adult for every two minors.

For more information join the mailing list and/or contact Katie Slenker (kslenker3@gatech.edu) or Jenny McGuire (jmcguire@gatech.edu).

​* No T. rex actually helped with the excavations of Natural Trap Cave as their arms would be much too small.

Stargazers are invited to the Georgia Tech Observatory’s Public Nights for a close-up glimpse of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and other night-sky wonders. Public Nights, which are held on select Thursday evenings, are free and open to everyone.

On the grounds between the Howey and Mason Buildings, several telescopes are typically set up for viewing, and visitors are also welcome to bring their own telescopes.

Public Nights are contingent on clear weather. 

For updated schedules, potential closures, driving and parking directions, and other information, please consult the official website: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2025 Semester

• September 4 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Alberio
• October 2 - 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 30 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• December 4 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Full Moon, Saturn

Spring 2026 Semester

• January 22 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter
• February 26 - 7 to 9 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter
• April 2 - 8 to 10 p.m. - Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 23 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter
   

Stargazers are invited to the Georgia Tech Observatory’s Public Nights for a close-up glimpse of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and other night-sky wonders. Public Nights, which are held on select Thursday evenings, are free and open to everyone.

On the grounds between the Howey and Mason Buildings, several telescopes are typically set up for viewing, and visitors are also welcome to bring their own telescopes.

Public Nights are contingent on clear weather. 

For updated schedules, potential closures, driving and parking directions, and other information, please consult the official website: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2025 Semester

• September 4 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Albireo
• October 2 - 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 30 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• December 4 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Full Moon, Saturn

Spring 2026 Semester

• January 22 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter
• February 26 - 7 to 9 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter
• April 2 - 8 to 10 p.m. - Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 23 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter