A prestigious journal published a UC undergraduate’s
research on hydrogels – a special substance that can be equipped to detect
bacteria, carry cargo and deliver medicine.
Next time you spot an earthworm sliding through fresh dirt,
take a closer look. What you’re seeing is an organic movement called
peristaltic locomotion that has been meticulously refined by nature.
Jarod Gregory, an undergraduate student in the University of
Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science, used a worm’s
contracting and expanding motion to provide a way for gels to swim in water.
This is a product of work by the interdisciplinary team consisting of Jarod
Gregory, a chemical engineering major, and his two advisers, Lilit
Yeghiazarian, assistant professor of environmental engineering, and Vasile
Nistor, assistant professor of biomedical engineering.