Jones Seminar: Sticky Science—Unlocking biomolecular secrets with SFA slip'n'slide

Optional ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 923 9477 7186
Passcode: 501051

The Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) is a force spectroscopic technique to directly measure the interaction forces between two macroscopic surfaces, with sub-nanometer distance resolution and tens of piconewton force sensitivity. Combined with multiple beam interferometry (MIB), we can observe the boundary between a solid and biomolecule film in real-time and in situ. This seminar will describe the SFA, and how we are using it to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that allow bacteria stick to surfaces in aqueous and salt-rich environments to engineer wet adhesives with potential use in biomedical applications, as well as the molecular interactions that regulate friction and wear in synovial joints, such as the knee or hip.

Hosted by professors Alex Boys and Emily Asenath-Smith.

About the Speaker(s)

Roberto Andresen Eguiluz
Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Merced

Roberto C. Andresen Eguiluz has been an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Merced since July 2019. He has a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a PhD in materials science and engineering from Cornell University, and had postdoctoral appointments at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests center on exploring how biomolecules in confinement regulate adhesion and lubrication.

Contact

For more information, contact Amos Johnson at amos.l.johnson@dartmouth.edu.