OUTREACH & EVENTS

Picture a Scientist
Liv, Maria and Natalie organised a screening of ‘Picture a Scientist‘, followed by a panel discussion and a social.
Maria, Victor, Natalie, Hendrik and Liv represented the group with its very own ‘Pint of Science‘-event. Check out the rap-battle between Liv and Andrea!

David provides his very professional opinion as to whether Godzilla or Kong could really ever be that big (and if so, who would win)…

Outstanding Achievement awar
Awarded by Imperial College in July 2021 to long-standing undergraduate lab member Ciara Gibbs for her voluntary work across numerous societies and NGOs.
In June 2021, Liv Walthaus was elected as the next Marketing Officer for the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology-society at Imperial. Read more about the society here!

Won in July 2021 by Fabian Plum for his talk on the Open-Science project scAnt, presented in the ‘Open Electronics’-session at SEB. Learn more about scAnt here!

Runner-up
Best GTA
Awarded in June 2021 to Andrea Attipoe for his work as Graduate Teaching Assistant in David’s Mechanics class.
In June 2021, David was one of 10 early career scientists to be elected to the Young Academy at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Read more here!

Awarded to Hendrik Beck in April 2021, to pursue PhD research in the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory. Henny will use physical and digital models of insects to understand the biomechanical principles which govern variation in locomotor performance during climbing.

Outstanding achievement Award
£5k awarded by Amazon to Fabian Plum in April 2021 for his PhD work on creating and using digital 3D models of insects to study insect behaviour in the field.
Won by Fabian Plum during Imperial’s PhD summer showcase in June 2020.

$1MM awarded to David to work with Natalie Holt and Mattia Bacca on the mechanical and physiological basis of insect herbivore performance. Read more here!

Liv starts her PhD
Of course with a Schultüte.
The first conference which the lab attended together. Check out all the posters we presented there!

Fabi starts his PhD
Full Schultüte, happy student?

ERC Starting Grant
€2MM awarded to David in Seotember 2019 to work on the behavioural biomechanics of plant-eating insects. Read more here!
Awarded to Fabian Plum in summer 2019, to pursue PhD research in the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory. Fabian will develop computer vision and machine learning tools to study behaviour of leaf-cutter ants.

Best Poster
As voted by academic staff and awarded to the 3rd year Group Project hosted in our lab. The group worked with Freddie on the development of a bite force sensor for measurements with insects.

Pizza
bake-off
We celebrated Christmas with a pizza competition – with some controversial entries!

Freddie & Andrea start their phd
And with them we welcome a new lab tradition: Incoming PhD students receive a Schultüte on their first day, full with treats and wisdom to help with the nervousness of the first day, and with getting started!

David serves as scientific expert in the two-part BBC documentary Size matters, narrated by Hannah Fry!

PhD Scholarship
Awarded by the Cusanuswerk to Frederik Pueffel in summer 2018, to pursue PhD research in the Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory. Freddie will study the biomechanics of biting and cutting in leaf-cutter ants.

3rd prize, R. McNeill Alexander award
Won by Frederik Pueffel at the SEB conference 2017 in Gothenburg, for his poster on studying mandible cutting forces.

Won by Frederik Pueffel at the SEB conference 2018 in Florence, for his poster on studying mandible wear.