Virginia Pasour

Email: pasourcam.cornell.edu
Research Interests: Bio-physical interactions in marine environments
Office phone: 5-3399
Advisor: Stephen Ellner

Abstract on my research: To What Extent Can Plankton Behavior Affect its Destiny?

I am interested in ways in which organisms in water interact with and are influenced by their environments. I am motivated first of all by the question and then computational, as well as analytical, techniques in areas such as dynamical systems and probability can come into play. Right now I am combining a computational model of shallow-water flow with an individual-based model of plankton to try to determine what sort of realistic combinations of flow and behavior are consistent with plankton samples from the field. Another particular area of interest is the formation and maintenance of fish schools.