Simon Sponberg ’02 claims esteemed Hertz Fellowship
Fortunate to have a choice between two prestigious fellowships, Simon Sponberg ’02, from Missoula, Montana, accepted the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship over a national Science Foundation Fellowship. The award will cover his graduate school tuition and fees and provide an additional $25,000 a year for five years.
"Simon is truly an inspiration to those who know him, and he sets a new standard for what an undergraduate can do," says Kellar Autumn, assistant professor of biology. "The depth of Simon’s wisdom, the height of his intelligence, and the breadth of his knowledge will significantly advance any program he chooses to participate in."
Most recently, Sponberg worked with Autumn on gecko adhesion research funded by the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. On this project, he helped to derive a new theory of adhesion in gecko setae by integrating quantum physics with the mechanics of the adhesive micro-structures geckos bear on their feet.
For his senior honors thesis, Sponberg worked with Autumn and Michael Broide, associate professor of physics, investigating how millions of gecko foot hairs work together to scale a wall.
"Simon has discovered the first adhesive known to science that responds actively to slippage by increasing the strength of its bond. This is a discovery with very broad implications and applications," says Autumn.
Using "RoboToe," a new servomanipulation and force measurement apparatus he and Autumn developed, Sponberg discovered that, in contrast to what they had predicted, microstructures on geckos’ feet exhibit fluidlike dynamics by increasing adhesive force when pulled rapidly.
"I’m amazed by the degree of complexity in the biological world and by how very simple principles can be used to gain a powerful understanding of biological systems," says Sponberg, who double majored in biology and physics.
This summer, Sponberg traveled in Japan and China. In the fall, he will pursue graduate studies in the integrative biology department at the university of California at Berkeley.
—by Pattie Pace and Jean Kempe-Ware
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