Southeastern to host lecture by animal movement specialist
Monday, February 23, 2015
by: Rene Abadie
HAMMOND – A specialist in the movements of fish and other animals who served as a technical adviser to the popular movie "Finding Nemo" will present a lecture at Southeastern Louisiana University on March 6.
Adam Summers, associate director of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories, will serve as the Distinguished Visiting Professor for the Southeastern Biology Graduate Student Organization at 11 a.m. in the Student Union Theatre. The presentation is free and open to the public.
"We expect Dr. Summers' presentation to be enlightening and entertaining, and not just for biology and science students," said Savannah Michaelsen, president of the organization. "With degrees in mathematics, engineering and biology, he has combined his expertise to better understand the evolution of the mechanical systems of animals. His experiences go far beyond the area of biology."
Summers previously worked at the University of California Berkeley where he founded the Biomechanics Laboratory and won the Bartholmew Prize for physiology research. While at UC Berkeley, he was approached by Pixar Studios to consult on "Finding Nemo." He spent three years advising the Pixar professionals on animal movements and biological aspects of the film.
Summers and his co-authors have published more than 70 articles in scientific journals and shares his enthusiasm for the field of biomechanics in a monthly column that appears in "Natural History Magazine."
For more information, contact Michaelsen at savannah.michaelsen@southeastern.edu.
