Northwestern Events Calendar

Oct
14
2015

PTHMS Grand Rounds: "Understanding locomotion: Seeing the 'phenomenon' through the 'mechanisms'"- John Bertram, PhD

When: Wednesday, October 14, 2015
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT

Where: 645 N. Michigan Avenue, 8th Floor, room 810, Chicago, IL 60611 map it

Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public

Contact: Gail Huber   (312) 908-6791

Group: Feinberg School of Medicine Events

Category: Lectures & Meetings

Description:

PTHMS GRAND ROUNDS
Wednesday, October 14
12:10-1:00
John EA Bertram, PhD
Professor, Dept. Cell Biology & Anatomy
University of Calgary
"Understanding locomotion: Seeing the ‘phenomenon’ through the ‘mechanisms’"

Abstract
Normal locomotion has been extremely well described, but it remains not well understood. Yet, an understanding of why locomotion operates as it does will substantially inform strategies available for gait remediation. In this seminar it is argued that legged locomotion, whether in humans or animals, should be considered first as a problem in solid dynamics, where the moving subject interacts dynamically with the substrate. Optimization of this interaction yields a limited number of successful strategies, depending on the circumstances. Implementing one of these strategies is what we observe as the functional mechanism – the active and passive control components of the limb – used in locomotion. Recognizing why the movement patterns occur as they do puts the key features of each gait in a functional, interpretable perspective. The value of this approach is demonstrated through a wide range of examples, from arboreal ape locomotion through the differential effects o f gravity on human walking and running.

Brief biography:
Originally from British Columbia, Canada, John Bertram received his BSc (Zoology) and MSc (Biomechanics) degrees from the University of British Columbia and his PhD from the University of Chicago (Anatomy and Organismal Biology). He did post-doctoral training at Dalhousie (Halifax, Canada) and Harvard Universities (while at Harvard he did two simultaneous PD fellowships, one on animal locomotion at the Concord Field Station and one on tree locomotion (hurricane wind throw) at the Harvard Forest Research Facility). He held faculty positions at Cornell and Florida State Universities before relocating to the University of Calgary (2004). In Calgary his primary appointment is in the Cumming School of Medicine (Professor, Dept. of Cell Biology and Anatomy) with an adjunct appointment in Veterinary Medicine (Dept. of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine). He is associated with the graduate programs of Medical Science, Biomedical Engineering, Biological Anthropology and the Centre for Bioengineering Research and Education. He also has an interest in supporting education in developing countries and has done volunteer teaching in Costa Rica, Tanzania and Nepal.

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