 Biologists unlock secret of gecko sticking power
Geckos, nature’s supreme climbers, can race up a polished glass window at a meter per second. They can even do it upside down. Moreover, they can support their entire body weight from a wall with only a single toe.
In the journal Nature, a team of scientists, led by Kellar Autumn, assistant professor of biology at Lewis & Clark, and Robert Full, head of the PolyPEDAL Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley, reports the first direct measurement of the adhesive function that makes it possible for the gecko to master those amazing feats.
Engineers are using their new knowledge to design tiny robots that may eventually aid search and rescue missions and to create the world’s first dry, self-cleaning glue that will work in outer space and underwater.
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Presented by Janis E. Lochner, Dr. Robert B. Pamplin, Jr., Professor of Science, at Opening Convocation of the 2000-01 academic year
It is an important time for the student—a time to become actively engaged in doing science rather than simply sitting on the sidelines and studying science. Students grow in interesting ways during the process. Let me tell you about one of my recent experiences.
As a biochemist, I am trained to study the molecular logic of the living state. In recent years, I’ve been most intrigued by the functioning of cells in the nervous system. Specifically, I’ve been curious about the biochemical basis of memory. How are memories encoded? What molecular events and proteins are integral to the process?
I might add that now that I’ve joined the ranks of the middle-aged, I also find myself musing about related, although not quite so uplifting, questions. For example, why has it become increasingly difficult to quickly retrieve some memories?
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Faculty News Headlines
Adams retires to help Zimbabwe women Jon Andrew Hall dies Faculty Focus Helena Carlson honored
Members of the American Psychological Association paid tribute to Helena Carlson when they named her Fellow of Division 9 (Society for the Psychologi-cal Study of Social Issues). The honor demonstrates the respect the profession holds for Carlson, who retired after a 24-year career at Lewis & Clark.
"What is so admirable about Dr. Helena Carlson’s work is that it often shines a light in areas where there has been darkness–not only the darkness of the unknown, but of the rejected or ignored," says Christina Maslach, professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley.
Carlson, professor emerita of psychology, has conducted research on community policing, women, racial and sexual minorities, women and homelessness, street youth, the psychological effects of unemployment, sexual harassment, acquaintance rape, the nomadic Irish tinkers and policing in Northern Ireland.
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