Principal investigator
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Sandy Kawano
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Clemson University (2014) B.S. in Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity; University of California - Davis, with a minor in Avian Sciences (2008) A.S. in Biological Sciences, De Anza College (2005) Twitter: @MorphoFun GitHub: @MorphoFun Email: smkawano<at>gwu.edu Click HERE for a copy of my CV. My research investigates the comparative physiology and biomechanics of animal movement, in ecological and evolutionary contexts, to address the origin and maintenance of morphological and functional diversity. Common research themes include: 1) the locomotor biomechanics across the fin-limb transition in vertebrate evolution, 2) morphological diversity driven by phenotypic selection, and 3) the ecomechanics of locomotion across different environments. My interdisciplinary research integrates empirical and theoretical approaches, including inverse dynamics, high-speed videography, materials science and engineering, statistics, mathematics, and computer modeling. Thanks to Time Scavengers for featuring my biography on Meet the Scientist blog, and the Journal of Experimental Biology for inviting me to participate in their Early Career Conversations series! Also, happy to be a member of the R-Ladies Global community! |
Photo credit: Sean DuFrene / Photographer Marketing and Communications Long Beach State University. Copyright ©2017-2018, Long Beach State University, All Rights Reserved.
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Research staff
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Zach Quigley
Lab technician B.A. in Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley (2018) Email: zmgquigley<at>gwu<dot>edu I am interested in investigating the functional morphology of organisms that push the bounds of organismal function, particularly in their methods of locomotion and feeding behavior. I am currently working as a post-baccalaureate lab technician/researcher using micro-CT analysis to investigate the functional limb morphology of amphibious organisms. I previously interned in the Flight Lab at UC Berkeley under Dr. Alejandro Rico-Guevara, where I helped design, construct, and program an automated robotic feeder-mask device to collect metabolic data on a feeding hummingbird in flight. Before that I interned in the Healy Lab at UC Berkeley under Dr. Amit J. Kha, where I helped formulate and manufacture an electrospun, hydrogel, human pluripotent stem cell scaffold using a novel hydrogel formulation. I also participated in confocal and SEM imaging of our scaffolding. I plan on applying to graduate schools within the next year in order to further pursue academic research. Honors and awards:
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Training
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Graduate students
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Jonathan Huie
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, George Washington University (2020 - present) B.S. in Marine Biology and Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, double major; University of Washington (2019). Twitter handle: @jmhuiee Email: jonathanmhuie<at>gmail<dot>com Webite: http://www.jonathanhuie.com/ I am broadly interested in comparative functional morphology, ecology, and macroevolution. How does the natural history of an animal shape its anatomy? Have ecologically similar taxa evolved convergent or divergent morphological adaptations? These questions have been large motivators for my recent and on-going work on fish feeding morphology and anole ecomorphology. For my PhD, I currently plan to investigate the morphology that underlies salamander locomotion and their water to land transition by integrating multi-disciplinary methods and techniques including (but not limited to) biomechanical testing and modelling, CT scanning, live animal kinematics, and phylogenetic comparative methods. Honors and awards:
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Matt LeFauve
PhD candidate with Dr. Patricia Hernandez and an honorary member of the Fins and Limbs lab! Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, George Washington University (2016-Present) M.S. in Biology, American University (2016) B.S. in Animal Behavior, Canisius College (2014) Twitter: @mklefauve Email: mlefauve<at>GWU<dot>edu Website: matthewklefauve.weebly.com I am broadly interested in how organisms collect and process sensory information and how differences in their central nervous systems relate to differences in behavior and ecological niche habitation. My current research focuses on social behavior variation between species of hearing specialist fishes and neuroanatomical differences between invasive Asian carp species using live animal experiments, animal kinematics, CT scanning and segmentation, histology, and high-throughput tracking of animal behavior using deep-convoluted neural networks. My previous work has focused on behavioral toxicology in zebrafish and cognition and behavioral endocrinology in gorillas. Presentations of lab research:
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Undergraduate students
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Alumni
Check out alumni of the Fins and Limbs Lab!
Join the lab!
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