Socha Lab Story & Crafts Corner
Hosted by the Socha Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech
Dr. Jake Socha, Principal Investigator - Dr. Socha is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. He is also a member of the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, an affiliate of Virginia Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biological Sciences, a member of Virginia Tech’s Integrative Organismal Biology group, and the director of Virginia Tech’s BIOTRANS program. He also serves as Associate Editor for the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Socha lab from summer 2019.
Melanoplus grasshopper perched on a stick. Professor Socha and Dr. Salcedo use grasshoppers to study how insects breathe (respirate) and how they circulate hemolymph (insect blood) throughout their bodies.
- Are You an Ant?
- La Luz de Lucia
- Are You a Grasshopper?
- La Oruga Muy Hambrienta
- Are You a Bee?
- Libelulas
- Are You A Ladybug?
Graduate student Joshua Pulliam reads a series of children’s books called, “Are you a….?” He describes what is an ant, a ladybug, a bee, and a grasshopper. Join him for some short stories and start asking your own questions next time you see an insect. What do you think that insect might be?
Listen and learn as Dr. Mary reads some of her favorite insect stories in Spanish. Dr. Mary is learning to speak Spanish, will you learn with her? Find out how to say “insects”, “dragonflies”, and “caterpillars” in Spanish!
Lucia is a firefly (luciernaga) who wants to shine bright in the night sky with her family. She lives in a great big tree (arbol) in a forest (El Gran Bosque). What do Lucia’s papa and mama give her to make her feel better? (un beso)
Graduate student Joshua Pulliam reads a series of children’s books called, “Are you a….?” He describes what is an ant, a ladybug, a bee, and a grasshopper. Join him for some short stories and start asking your own questions next time you see an insect. What do you think that insect might be?
Listen and learn as Dr. Mary reads some of her favorite insect stories in Spanish. Dr. Mary is learning to speak Spanish, will you learn with her? Find out how to say “insects”, “dragonflies”, and “caterpillars” in Spanish!
This caterpillar can’t stop eating! Come and enjoy this classic in Spanish with both Spanish and English text. Can you hear the word for oranges? (naranjas) Can you hear the word for butterfly? (mariposa)
Graduate student Joshua Pulliam reads a series of children’s books called, “Are you a….?” He describes what is an ant, a ladybug, a bee, and a grasshopper. Join him for some short stories and start asking your own questions next time you see an insect. What do you think that insect might be?
Listen and learn as Dr. Mary reads some of her favorite insect stories in Spanish. Dr. Mary is learning to speak Spanish, will you learn with her? Find out how to say “insects”, “dragonflies”, and “caterpillars” in Spanish!
Dragonflies (Libelulas) are Dr. Mary’s favorite insects (insectos)! Come learn about their anatomy and what they like to eat. Can you find and hear the word for eyes? (ojos) Pay attention for the word “pajaros” (birds) and “buenas cazadoras” (great hunters).
Graduate student Joshua Pulliam reads a series of children’s books called, “Are you a….?” He describes what is an ant, a ladybug, a bee, and a grasshopper. Join him for some short stories and start asking your own questions next time you see an insect. What do you think that insect might be?
Terrell is always excited to learn animal facts, but he loves to share them even more. He first ate Mud Worms in preschool and thought it would be a good idea to pass on the dessert. It also gave him an excuse to eat gummy worms while learning more animal facts. Watch his cooking video to see more!
Curiosity drives the Socha Lab! We study unique organismal biomechanics and bio-inspired engineering. How snakes fly, how frogs jump, and how insects breathe are just a few of the questions that we try to answer. We visualize movements, big and small, with high-speed cameras and then track and model in 3D space how animals coordinate their limbs or pump fluid (like air or hemolymph) throughout their bodies. Our research can take place in the lab, in the field (places like Australia, Southeast Asia, or even the German Club at Virginia Tech), or at national labs where high-powered synchrotron x-rays enable us to visualize the insides of insects.