10.29.09 Chris Rink 757-864-6786, 757-344-7711 christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: 09-087 NASA SPEAKER DISCUSSES JELLYFISH-INSPIRED ENGINEERING HAMPTON, Va. -- A bother at the beach or aquarium attraction, jellyfish are considered one of the most successful swimmers in the world. Can they also help design the next generation of submarines, onshore wind power, and tools to diagnose heart failure? On Tuesday, Nov. 3, NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., hosts Dr. John Dabiri named one on the "Brilliant 10" scientists in 2008. Dabiri will discuss "Unsteady Hydrodynamics in Bio-inspired Propulsion" at 2 p.m. in the Reid Conference Center. More simply, he will describe how a biological approach to engineering has placed jellyfish at the center of efforts to build new underwater vehicles and influence other technologies. Media who wish to interview Dabiri at a news briefing at 1:15 p.m., Tuesday should contact Chris Rink at 864-6786 or christopher.p.rink@nasa.gov by noon for credentials and entry to NASA Langley. On Tuesday evening, Dabiri will present a similar talk for the general public at 7:30 p.m. at the Virginia Air & Space Center in downtown Hampton. The evening presentation is free and no reservations are required. Dabiri is an assistant professor in the Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories and the Option of Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif. In 2008, Popular Science magazine named Dabiri one of its "Brilliant 10" scientists. He was selected for a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2009.
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