James Bird
Assistant Professor College of Engineering at Boston University
Schools
- Boston University
Links
Biography
Boston University
James Bird is an assistant professor in BU’s College of Engineering’s mechanical engineering department.
His current research interests are broadly in fluid dynamics with a specific focus on the capillary dynamics of drops and bubbles. Combining both experiments and theory, he investigates problems such as how drops spread on surfaces and how bubbles pop. His research is motivated by problems in a variety of fields, including healthcare (e.g. virus transfer via droplets), energy (e.g. boiling and condensation), and materials (e.g. foams).
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Cases
The beauty and science of bubbles
January 28, 2018
CBS News James Bird As some of us may recall, bubbles (ostensibly from champagne) were a trademark of the classic Lawrence Welk TV show… Expert quote: “Bubbles are important because they transport gases into liquids and liquid into gases. They can affect the way that we might perceive or smell certain beverages, like champagne — the […]
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Scientists find Belichick’s explanation plausible
January 26, 2015
Boston Globe (subscription required) James Bird, College of Engineering It’s basic physics, folks. Four of the Boston area’s best scientific minds, zeroing in on the controversy over the Patriots’ use of underinflated footballs, agreed: If you take a ball from a warm place to a cool place, it will lose air pressure… Expert quote: “Everything they said […]
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Why you really CAN smell approaching storms: Raindrops release clouds of aerosols that are carried for miles on the wind
January 15, 2015
Daily Mail James Bird, College of Engineering Most people can detect the distinctive fresh, earthy aroma of an approaching rain storm, but now scientists have worked out why… Expert quote: “This paper provides an elegant mechanism by which these microbes can be propelled past the stagnant layer of air around them to a place where […]
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Petrichor: Raindrops Release Clouds Of Aerosols On Impact
January 15, 2015
Science 2.0 James Bird, College of Engineering People love that earthy smell after it rains. It turns out there is a good science reason for it, and it’s been captured using high-speed imaging… Expert quote: “I’m impressed by the extent [to which] the authors have unraveled the underlying physics. The aspect of this paper that […]
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The science behind the bubbly in champagne
December 31, 2014
Boston Globe (subscription required) James Bird, College of Engineering Most people save the turn of the calendar year for celebration and reflection, but New Year’s Eve doubles as a demonstration of the fact that fascinating, interesting, and even some unsolved scientific questions are often right under our noses… Expert quote: “Before I drink, I hold […]
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To Repel Water, Rough Things Up
December 4, 2013
PBS Nova Next James Bird, College of Engineering We are obsessed with staying dry… View full article
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Using a Rough Surface to Stay Dry
December 3, 2013
New York Times James Bird, College of Engineering Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University have found a new clue to staying dry, and it has to do with time and texture… View full article
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Try This on For Size: MIT & BU Researchers Create the Most Waterproof Material Ever
November 25, 2013
BostInno James Bird, College of Engineering The wintry, windy weather will leave you longing for the waterproof warmth of Gore-Tex… View full article
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Researchers hatch new way to repel drops
November 25, 2013
Boston Globe (subscription required) James Bird, College of Engineering Engineers have long been interested in creating surfaces that can repel water — materials so waterproof that droplets bounce right off… Expert quote: “The point is now you know you can do it, it’s really obvious how to do it. And yet you didn’t try that […]
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Water-Resistance Breakthrough Makes a Splash
November 22, 2013
TechNewsWorld James Bird, College of Engineering Scientists may have just created the most water-resistant artificial material in the world… Expert quote: “Perhaps the most straightforward [way to further reduce contact time] would be to design the texture to fracture the drop into more pieces.” View full article
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