While I was in Reading I ran a summer project for anything up to 25
students in which they did a mechanics-basedd project for a period of
half a day a week for 8 weeks. We then had a symposium at which they
presented their results, with a guest speaker.
Maths was kept to a minimum, but I fould that if the maths really
expanded what the experiments showed, and increased the biological
relevance (e.g. molecular mechanisms, reasons for a particular
morphology, control of interactions between plants and animals, etc)
then there wasn't much problem with the students learning enough (and
George wsas always there to explain the maths anyway!). But in many
cases the maths is irrelevant because either the assumptions are
violated (e.g. biological materials tend to be anisotropic, go to high
strains, have complex joints) or the samples are simply too small to
make into the right shape for a proper test. Under those circumstances
we had to develop tests which were based on a graphical approach and
careful observation of the test specimen (morphology of fracture
surfaces, behaviour during testing, etc). In fact this taught us more
than trying to shoe-horn the test pieces into some sort of spurious
mathematical model. Maths can be a snare and a delusion, giving the
impression you are doing something at very high sensitivity or
intellectual level, when you are actually making a filter between
yourself and what is actually happening. Remember that there's nothing
like the ASTM handbook for biological materials! Each biological
material/structure has to be examined with care and an open mind. I had
a database of the projects which worked (about 150 eventually), but have
two drawers in my filing cabinet full of these project reports. Quite a
few of them could be reworked with better materials, insight, etc.
Difficulties: basically how to handle biological materials. They tend
to be fiddly, need to be kept damp, and are difficult to mount in a test
machine. Also the 'obvious' test is quite often the wrong one! Another
point is seasonality. Spring is the best time of year to do this sort
of course. Also field courses. Many experiments require very little
equipment (e.g. a ruler, a stopwatch, some bits of string and glue, a
spring balance and a small bucket which will hold water. With that you
can do most mechanical tests in the field. The spring balance is for
weighing the bucket, _not_ for loading the specimen - unless you want a
soft machine in order to mimic the energy storage of muscles in a biting
jaw, for instance)
On an admin note, to anyone else who replies to Richard's note, please
DON'T reply personally to him, since that negates the whole point of
this discussion list. Send all your replies centrally, so that
contentious points can be discussed openly. Actually, replying straight
to Richard does _him_ no good, since then these arcane points won't be
properly dissected!
Richard Bonser wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> I'm presently engaged in the Reading University New Lecturers Certificate
> programme and part of this is a project to explore methods of teaching
> materials mechanics to undergraduate biologists. Primarily, I'm thinking
> about large-group teaching, rather than final-year projects and would like
> to find out how practical classes are conducted in various institutions. I'm
> primarily interested in experiences gained while teaching biology students,
> but would be interested to hear about experiences in other fields.
>
> I'd be very grateful if members of the list could supply me with information
> under the following headings:
>
> 1. Do you run practical classes in mechanics of biological materials?
>
> -If yes, what do these entail (materials, methods, what's measured)?
>
> -If no, what factors make them difficult to run (e.g. cost, equipment, time,
> skills)?
>
> 2. Do you find that students find the mathematical concepts hard to grasp?
>
> 3. What preparation do you give in lectures beforehand? Is there, for
> example, an introductory lecture to materials mechanics beforehand?
>
> Please feel free to contact me directly, if you prefer
> ([log in to unmask]). In due course, I'll post a copy of the report
> on my website subject to consultation with those supplying info.
>
> Any assistance greatfully appreciated!
>
> Rgds,
>
> Richard
>
> Dr R.H.C. Bonser
> Lecturer in Biomimetics
> Centre for Biomimetics
> School of Construction Management and Engineering
> The University of Reading
> Engineering Building
> Whiteknights
> Reading, RG6 6AY
> UK
>
> Tel.: +44 (0)118 378 5219
> Fax.: +44 (0)118 931 3327
> Web: http://www.reading.ac.uk/biomim
--
Julian FV Vincent [log in to unmask]
Professor of Biomimetics office 01225 386596
Centre for Biomimetics & Natural Technologies mobile 07941 933901
Dept of Mechanical Engineering fax 01225 386928
The University
BATH BA2 7AY
http://www.bath.ac.uk/Departments/Eng/biomimetics/
I hate quotations. Tell me what you know. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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