In the natural world where the properties of a surface can vary dramatically between steps, the locomotor system must be able to respond rapidly and effectively to these environmental challenges. Our research seeks to understand how animals respond to and manipulate naturally unstable and unpredictable environments to facilitate their daily locomotion. We approach our research in an interdisciplinary manner, directly quantifying animal locomotion, abstracting it using physical models, and digging more deeply into the mechanisms using computational modeling. When possible, we combine fieldwork with laboratory experimentation to achieve a holistic understanding for our questions while placing our theories and results in a context relevant to the ecology and evolution of the organism.
Announcements ↗
- Jenna Ribikauskas joins the lab as a Frances-Velay Summer Research Fellow
- Our paper on self-righting in spotted lanternflies is accepted for publication in Integrative and Comparative Biology!“Using pose estimation and 3D rendered models to study leg-mediated self-righting by lanternflies”
- Dr. Tonia Hsieh named Biology Graduate Program Chair!
- Congratulations, Dr. Liz Tucker!Liz Tucker successfully defended her thesis, “The Kinematics and Kinetics of Lizards Running Over Complex Terrain”! Congratulations!!
- SICB PAC “Including indigenous people in research and pedagogy” WorkshopTo be held on November 18, 2022 at 12:00PM Eastern. Register here!
Recent Publications ↗
Bien, T., Alexander, B. H., Li, C., Goeler-Slough, N., Hsieh, S. T., & Kane, S. A. 2024. Using Pose Estimation and 3D Rendered Models to Study Leg-Mediated Self-righting by Lanternflies. Integrative and Comparative Biology, icae014. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icae014
Li, C., Xu, A. J., Beery, E., Hsieh, S. T., & Kane, S. A. 2023. Putting a new spin on insect jumping performance using 3D modeling and computer simulations of spotted lanternfly nymphs. Journal of Experimental Biology, 226(19), jeb246340. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.246340
Bien, T., Alexander, B. H., White, E., Hsieh, S. T., & Kane, S. A. 2023. Sizing up spotted lanternfly nymphs for instar determination and growth allometry. PLOS ONE, 18(2), e0265707. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265707
Kane, SA, T Bien*, L Contreras-Orendain*, MF Ochs, ST Hsieh. 2021. Many ways to land upright: novel righting strategies allow spotted lanternfly nymphs to land on diverse substrates. Royal Society Interface.
Pravin, S, B Chang, E Han, L London, DI Goldman, HM Jaeger, and ST Hsieh.2021. Effect of two parallel intruders on work during granular penetrations. Physics Rev E.
Contact Info
Department of Biology
1900 N 12th Street
Room 219A
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Prof. Tonia Hsieh’s email:
Tonia.Hsieh [at] temple.edu
Follow us on Mastodon: @ToniaHsieh@ecoevo.social