Joining the Albert Nerken School of Engineering this fall is Emily Palmer, a visiting professor in the Department of Physics. Palmer earned her Ph.D. in aeronautics at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology. Prior to Cooper, she was a visiting fellow in biological and environmental engineering at Cornell University.  

Tell us about your research interests.

I've always been fascinated by the interplay between engineered and biological systems which, while sometimes treated as opposites, can form a union enabling not only better understanding of both, but also novel work that could never have been produced through study of one discipline alone. I am particularly excited by biological locomotory systems which outperform their engineered counterparts: while drone flight is limited in cities due to the complex fluid flows, pigeons maneuver effectively (much to the displeasure of their human neighbors); while planes are grounded after the slightest damage to a wing, insects can fly robustly even after having lost half a wing; and while researchers grapple with the transition from hovering to forward flight, dragonflies and all manner of birds effortless switch between flight modes as an array of sensory stimuli are integrated to favor flapping or gliding.

My research draws on flow physics, control theory, biomechanics, and neuroscience to understand how animals integrate sensory modalities and prior experience to appropriately respond to and manipulate the complex flow structures they navigate. I focus on those biological virtuosos which perform maneuvers on or beyond the boundaries of what is currently possible for engineered systems to develop a deep understanding of the control algorithms and dynamics underlying biological locomotory systems, inform the design of novel bioinspired autonomous systems, and provide insights into the interactions between animals and their environments in the face of changing global flow patterns.

What brought you to The Cooper Union?

Cooper is a unique and dynamic institution in so many ways! Most importantly to me, Cooper gives a really satisfying and compelling answer to the question all academics and engineers should ask themselves: Why do we do what we do? Why do we perform research or engineering? The way in which an institution motivates itself is so important to defining its culture. Cooper’s answer seems to be that we should be motivated by the opportunity to make meaningful contributions that benefit the world and solve societal challenges.

The motivation to create positivity has manifested at The Cooper Union as a wonderfully positive, welcoming, and open culture. When I met members of The Cooper Union community, I felt inspired by their passion to contribute to making the world around them a better place to live in. I came to Cooper to be a part of that community, to be inspired, and, hopefully, to create positive contributions myself!

What aspects of teaching are you most excited about in the coming academic year at Cooper?

I am so excited to get to know the students! Without fail, every member of the Cooper community I have met has raved about the student body—how passionate, engaged, and bright the students here are. They are students who want to take ownership over their learning, who will engage in dynamic and challenging discussions, and who will push me to grow both as an educator and as a researcher. I believe that this is exactly the culture that fosters the best teaching and learning and am so delighted and honored to be a part of it!

I am also excited to find unique and fascinating engineering applications and natural phenomena to motivate my students’ learning. It can be easy for engineering students to become siloed in their discipline, but physics is an opportunity to build a wide and curious intellectual base. I remember taking Electromagnetism as a sophomore mechanical engineering major, and not being entirely sure why it was a required course! It was only later, after learning about how some insects use the polarization of light in the sky to navigate and others sense the electric fields of flowers to decide whether they are worth a visit, that I internalized how diverse physics phenomena are and how relevant they are to my interests. I hope that my experience and unique scientific perspective resonates with students and broadens their thinking about what exactly physics is and why they need it.