Rivers Ingersoll, PhD, is a recent PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. His thesis focused on measuring and understanding the aerodynamic forces of hovering hummingbirds and bats. The project aimed to make animal research less invasive, increase our understandings of extreme muscle functions, and improve the design of bird inspired flying robots. We’ll be talking about his thesis and its implications, the process of getting a PhD, and ask him why you’d call him if somebody said, “Somebody Call a Doctor!”
Additional Articles and Links about Rivers and his Hummingbirds
- California Academy of Sciences: Lens of Time – How Hummingbirds Hover
- Science Advances: Biomechanics of hover performance in Neotropical hummingbirds vs. bats
- Stanford News: Stanford engineers study hovering bats and hummingbirds in Costa Rica
- National Geographic: Unlocking the Secrets Behind the Hummingbird’s Frenzy
- Reuters: Aerial engineers seek inspiration from slo-mo hummingbirds
- CNN: Unlocking secrets of bird flight to build flying robots
- New York Times: Training Birds to Aid a Scientific Breakthrough
- LentikLab: Hummingbirds Hub with additional links and videos
Podcast: Play in new window | Download