Search for: All records

The collective patterns that emerge in schooling fish are often analyzed using models of self-propelled particles in unbounded domains. However, while schooling fish in both field and laboratory settings interact with domain boundaries, these effects are typically ignored. Here, we propose a model that incorporates geometric confinement, by accounting for both flow and wall interactions, into existing data-driven behavioral rules. We show that new collective phases emerge where the school of fish “follows the tank wall” or “double mills.” Importantly, confinement induces repeated switching between two collective states, schooling and milling. We describe the group dynamics probabilistically, uncovering bistable collective states along with unintuitive bifurcations driving phase transitions. Our findings support the hypothesis that collective transitions in fish schools could occur spontaneously, with no adjustment at the individual level, and opens venues to control and engineer emergent collective patterns in biological and synthetic systems that operate far from equilibrium. 

This work-in-progress paper discusses the development of an educational game to provide integrated geotechnical engineering education modules that connect theoretical concepts, laboratory testing, field investigation, and engineering design. The game, Earth Trek, is developed based on the design of geothermal piles, which are an innovative and sustainable geotechnical engineering approach to combat climate change. Virtual reality is applied to visualize the field environments, laboratory conditions, and design components for structural simulation. The game uses a combination of storytelling and tasks to engage students with geotechnical concepts in an enjoyable way. With the newly developed game, geotechnical engineering instructors can provide students with exposure to laboratory testing and field environments, improving the quality of geotechnical engineering education. The use of multiphysics enriched mixed reality gaming allows for a visual representation of the connections between theoretical concepts, laboratory testing, field investigation, and engineering design. Additionally, this study discusses the challenges that geotechnical students face when dealing with worldwide concerns such as energy demand, environmental protection, infrastructure sustainability, and hazard reduction. Earth Trek allows students to apply geotechnical engineering knowledge to explore the underground space and the associated geothermal energy to tackle the engineering problems using only their smartphones. Through exploring the virtual environment and completing game tasks, students can obtain different testing tools used for geotechnical experiments, including thermal conductivity measurement and direct shear test. They are also trained to conduct parametric study to explore the influence of boundary conditions on thermal transfer efficiency of the geothermal pile. The key contribution of this work is to illustrate an educational paradigm based on mixed reality, moving towards creative engineering education in geotechnical engineering. The newly developed educational game and Earth Trek are expected to enhance geotechnical engineering education and provide students with an interdisciplinary knowledge to tackle worldwide concerns.