UPCOMING LECTURE
EVENT DATE
Feb 5, 2025 12-1pm
Hill auditorium
Event Registration
Please register here to sign up for the in-person event or the webinar.
Auxeticity, Hierarchy, and Imperfections in the Mechanics of Living Matter
Presented by:
M. Fraldi (University of Napoli Federico II, Italy & École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France)
L. Deseri (University of Trento, Italy)
The mechanics of continua and structures plays a pivotal role in understanding the interplay between growth, remodeling, and morphogenesis in living matter. By analyzing the interaction of internal forces, stresses, and fluid flow at the macro-scale with processes at lower scales, researchers uncover the mechanisms that drive tissue and organ functionality.
In this seminar, Professors Fraldi and Deseri will explore how phenomena such as auxeticity, elastic instability, microstructure hierarchy, and geometrical imperfections contribute to advancing our understanding of complex mechanobiological processes. These include tissue differentiation, regeneration, wound healing, and cancer development.
Through compelling examples, the speakers will highlight how integrating mechanics and biology not only deepens our comprehension of living systems but also paves the way for innovative applications in precise medicine and the development of bio-inspired, self-repairing materials.
This work, supported by contributions from A.R. Carotenuto, A. Cutolo, S. Palumbo, and N.M. Pugno, showcases the reciprocal benefits of bridging mechanics and biology for advancing science and technology.
Mechanics and Multiphysics of Rearrangeable Materials at Multiple Scales: Biological and Man-Made Paradigms
Presented by:
M. Fraldi (University of Napoli Federico II, Italy & École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France)
L. Deseri (University of Trento, Italy)
Rearrangeable materials—whether biological systems or architected solids—are gaining widespread attention for their unique ability to undergo submacroscopic rearrangements, enabling remarkable mechanical properties in both static and dynamic regimes. From programmable distributed gliding to reconfigurable folding, such materials hold the potential to revolutionize fields ranging from structural engineering to biomedical applications.
This seminar will delve into the multiscale mechanics of heterogeneous solids and explore theoretical frameworks, such as Structured Deformations, which provide a foundation for analyzing rearrangeable systems. The speakers will address paradigmatic examples of biological systems, like cell membranes undergoing ligand binding, and man-made systems, such as crystals or origami-inspired materials that exhibit reconfigurable behaviors.
Key topics will include
This presentation will highlight the collaborative work of S. Palumbo, A. Cutolo, A.R. Carotenuto, and joint graduate students, emphasizing the potential for systematic approaches to studying and designing innovative materials.
Speaker Introductions
MASSIMILIANO FRALDI is a full professor of Mechanics of Structures, Nonlinear Mechanics, and Biomechanics at the University of Napoli Federico II, Italy, where he leads the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Structural Composites (SCIC) and the Laboratory of Integrated Mechanics and Imaging for Testing and Simulation of bio-systems (LIMITS). A visiting professor at the LPENS – Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, since 2022, he has secured €2.5M in research funding over the past five years and has served as a consultant for leading aerospace and mechanical engineering companies. Prof. Fraldi has been an invited speaker at prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford and the Isaac Newton Institute, and he chaired the XXVI AIMETA Congress in 2024. Author of over 120 scientific papers, his research spans elasticity, stability, composites, and biomechanics, and he leads a team of young researchers, PhD students, and postdocs.
LUCA DESERI is a Full Professor of Solid & Structural Mechanics at the University of Trento, where he has led the Ph.D. school for six years and served on the advisory board for 12 years. He holds adjunct visiting research professorships at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon since 2016. Prof. Deseri has led and participated in numerous funded research projects across the EU and Italy and has consulted for public and private sectors, including national civil structures and multinational aerospace companies. Formerly, he was Division Lead of Aerospace Engineering at Brunel University London (2016-2017) and held leadership roles at the University of Trento and the University of Molise. He earned his Ph.D. in 1995, followed by a postdoc at Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Nonlinear Analysis. An invited speaker at institutions such as Berkeley and Caltech, his research focuses on multiscale mechanics, including “Structured Deformations” for defective materials, cell membrane multiphysics, and fine-scale reconfigurable materials, alongside expertise in viscoelasticity, plasticity, and granular materials.
