Meeting Abstract

S10.3  Jan. 7  The topic of Biomechanics – Why is this a good first topic for SICBDL and how are new topics brought in? FISH, F.E.; West Chester University ffish@wcupa.edu

As a model for the future development of topics to be included in the SICB Digital Library, biomechanics was chosen. Biomechanics looks at the ways organisms deal with mechanical matters. The topic includes analysis of internal and external forces, structural systems, growth, and movement. Biomechanics thus integrates biology with physics and engineering. Biomechanics is an interdisciplinary topic with considerable current activity. Although the topic has wide appeal, there has not been the development of a comprehensive educational resource on this topic. A biomechanics website was developed (http://www.sicb.org/dl/biomechanics.php3) that includes laboratories, sample problems, and bibliography. Sample experiments that can introduced in student laboratories will be presented in this session, including allometry of bones, effect of wing geometry on flight characteristics, force production during burrowing, mechanics of fracture, and mechanics of domes and eggs. New topics will be integrated into the SICBDL that are not repeated by other organizations, and provide educational opportunities in new and emerging fields. These topics should be integrative and comparative across taxonomic and organizational levels.