Michael Dickinson
Esther M. and Abe M. Zarem Professor of Bioengineering and Aeronautics
Division of Biology and Biological Engineering
CalTech
Dickinson Lab
Host: Paul Katz
The Alexander Lecture
November 8, 2019, 4:00 p.m.
Seminar Location: Integrative Learning Center, Room N151
“Straighten up and fly right: long distance dispersal and flight control in Drosophila”
Dr. Dickinson studies the neural and biomechanical basis of behavior in the fruit fly, Drosophila. His lab strives to build an integrated model of behavior that incorporates an understanding of morphology, neurobiology, muscle physiology, physics, and ecology. He is interested in understanding how animals transform sensory information into a code that controls motor output and behavior.
The Alexander lecture is named after UMass entomologist, Charles P. Alexander, who described over 11,000 species of flies, mostly of crane flies, which amounts to about 1% of all species of living things known today. To do this he identified one species per day throughout his career. This in spite of the fact that he served as Chair of the Entomology Department and Dean of the College of Agriculture.