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VERSION:2.0
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CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260917T020550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160706T130320Z
DTSTART:20160707T150000Z
DTEND:20160707T160000Z
UID:event1623@bu.edu
URL:http://physics.bu.edu/internal/events/show/1623
SUMMARY:Navigating turbulent environments: the soaring flight of birds
DESCRIPTION:Featuring Gautam Reddy\, UCSD \n\nPart of the Condensed Matter 
	Theory Seminar Series.\n\nAbstract:\nThermals are ascending currents that t
	ypically extend from the ground up to the base of the clouds. Birds and gli
	ders piggyback thermals to fly with a reduced expenditure of energy\, e.g. 
	during migration\, and to extend their flying range. Flow in the thermals i
	s highly turbulent\, which poses the challenge of navigation in strongly fl
	uctuating environments. We combine numerical simulations of atmospheric flo
	w with reinforcement learning methods to identify strategies of navigation 
	that can cope with and even exploit turbulent fluctuations. Specifically\, 
	we show how the strategies evolve as the level of turbulent fluctuations in
	crease and we identify those sensorimotor cues that are effective at direct
	ing turbulent navigation.
LOCATION:SCI 328\, 590 Commonwealth Avenue\, 02215
STATUS:CONFIRMED
CLASS:PUBLIC
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