Symposium “Biomaterials: properties, variation, and evolution”
Organized by: Brook O. Swanson and Mason N. Dean

Synopsis.

The nano- and microstructure of biomaterials intrigues engineers/materials scientists as well as biologists, but often for different reasons. Whereas organismal biologists are interested in how these structures vary, evolve and ultimately influence performance and ecology, engineers typically seek to comprehend and exploit the rules that underlie the emergent material properties.  Indeed, biomaterials have unmatched strength, toughness, resilience, and capacity for self-repair that, if harnessed, might inform the development of new high performance materials.

Despite often-similar research systems as well as proximate and ultimate study interests, what is typically lacking is a means of communication between these groups. We have organized a symposium to bridge this gap, bringing together scientists who study a broad range of biomaterials using a variety of perspectives and techniques. By combining engineering and biological approaches to hard and soft tissue research, our hope is to integrate scales of understanding to provide a more holistic view of biomaterial selection and function.  In synthesizing disparate points of view, we will advance our understanding of the variation in structure and properties of these materials as well as their evolution. 

Symposium Organizers.

Brook O. Swanson (swansonb@gonzaga.edu); Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA 99258

Mason N. Dean (mdean@uci.edu); Doctoral candidate, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92612

 

Funding Sources.

Division of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (DCPB)

Division of Vertebrate Morphology (DVM)

Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Journal “Zoology“

 

Schedule.

(click on a speaker to be taken to their website)

7:40-8:00	Brook Swanson, Gonzaga Univ.	Evolution of complex biomaterial performance: the case of spider silk
8:00-8:30	Doug Fudge, Univ. Guelph	From soft cells to hard keratins – The many lives of intermediate filaments
8:30-9:00	Ingo Burgert, Max Planck Inst.	The plant cell wall acts as a sophisticated mechanical device
9:00-9:30	Randy Ewoldt, MIT	Nonlinear viscoelastic biomaterials: meaningful characterization and engineering inspiration
9:30-10:00	Andrew Smith, Ithaca Coll.	Multiple cross-linking mechanisms in molluscan adhesive gels
10:00-10:30	Coffee Break
10:30-11:00	Stanislav Gorb, Max Planck Inst.	Materials for reversible adhesion: from biological systems to wall-climbing robots
11:00-11:30	Dan Dudek, Univ. British Columbia	Dynamic mechanical properties of synthetic resilin
11:30-12:00	Brown Univ.	Mechanical behavior of aponeuroses
12:00-1:00	Lunch
1:00-1:30	Francois Barthelat, McGill Univ.	Structure and properties of mineralized tissues: Deformation and fracture of mollusc nacre
1:30-2:00	Christine Ortiz, MIT	Nanotechnological studies of native and regenerated musculoskeletal tissues
2:00-2:30	Elise Morgan, Boston Univ.	Mechanical regulation of skeletal healing
2:30-3:00	Mason Dean, UC Irvine	Micro-mechanics and material properties of the tessellated skeleton of cartilaginous fishes

 

Abstracts

S7.1 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 07:40 SWANSON, B*; ANDERSON, S:

Evolution of complex biomaterial performance: the case of spider silk

S7.2 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 08:00 FUDGE, D.S.*; BERIAULT, D.; SZEWCIW, L.; MCCUAIG, J.; RUSSELL, D.; LANE, E.B.; VOGL, A.W.:

From Soft Cells to Hard Keratins – The Many Lives of Intermediate Filaments

S7.3 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 08:30 BURGERT, I*; FRATZL, P:

The Plant Cell Wall Acts as a Sophisticated Mechanical Device

S7.4 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 09:00 EWOLDT, R.H.*; HOSOI, A.E.; MCKINLEY, G.H.:

Nonlinear viscoelastic biomaterials: meaningful characterization and engineering inspiration

S7.5 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 09:30 SMITH, A. M.*; BLOOM, A.; GARCIA, S.:

Multiple cross-linking mechanisms in molluscan adhesive gels

S7.6 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 10:30 GORB, Stanislav N.:

Materials for reversible adhesion: from biological systems to wall-climbing robots

S7.7 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 11:00 DUDEK, DM*; GOSLINE, JM; MICHAL, CA; DEPEW, TA; ELVIN, C; KIM, M; LYONS, R:

Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Resilin

S7.8 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 11:30 AZIZI, E*; ROBERTS, TJ:

Mechanical Behavior of Aponeuroses

S7.9 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 13:00 BARTHELAT, Francois:

Structure and Properties of Mineralized Tissues: The Deformation and Fracture of Nacre from Mollusc Shells

S7.10 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 13:30 ORTIZ, Christine:

Nanotechnological Studies of Native and Regenerated Musculoskeletal Tissues

S7.11 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 14:00 MORGAN, EF*; SALISBURY PALOMARES, KT; MASON, ZD; LEONG, PL; HAYWARD, LNM; GLEASON, RE; BELLIN, D:

Mechanical Regulation of Skeletal Healing

S7.12 Tuesday, Jan. 6, 14:30 DEAN, MN*; YOUSSEFPOUR, H; EARTHMAN, J; GORB, S; SUMMERS, AP:

Micro-mechanics and material properties of the tessellated skeleton of cartilaginous fishes