Audrey Biondi, a PhD Candidate in the Federated Department of Biological Sciences and member of the Fluid Locomotion Lab led by Dr. Brooke Flammang, was recently selected as an intern for the 2021 Office of Naval Research Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program. This prestigious award provides funding and infrastructure support for independent research.This summer, Audrey will be working on the computational fluid dynamics and acoustics of Right Whales in response to ocean noise pollution at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. She will also be working with a team of engineers who are developing biologically inspired technologies that do not interfere with the whale's call frequency. Audrey is excited to learn from this amazing team of scientists and to contribute to the progress of projects of national importance.
Audrey’s research focuses on the functional morphology, biomechanics, and fluid dynamics of fishes to enhance ocean robotics. Specifically, she is investigating the flapping mechanics of Molidae fishes fins to develop a fully unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) that is equipped with a custom-built sensor to monitor conductivity, temperature, and depth. Using this knowledge of how a biological system works helps to fast-track designing a complex multi-component system and optimize a more efficient vehicle. After graduate school, Audrey plans to continue to develop autonomous biologically inspired ocean robots that can be deployed for long-term biological research as well as specialized military use. Audrey's research is interdisciplinary, combining two primary areas, organismal biology and engineered robotics.