'Dynamics' Duo
Ohio Wesleyan Students Present Scientific Research at National Physicists Conference
Name: Philip "Mack" Fincham '26
Hometown: Springfield, Ohio
High School: Kenton Ridge High School
Majors: Astrophysics and Mathematics
Minor: Psychology
Name: Cord Podolan '26
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
High School: Worthington Kilbourne High School
Major: Mathematics
Minors: Computer Science, Data Analytics, Economics
OWU Connection Experience: Completing scientific research and presenting their findings at a national conference
Fincham and Podolan participated in Ohio Wesleyan's 10-week Summer Scholarship and Research Symposium (SSRP) and subsequently presented a poster of their findings, "Flagellar Geometry and Its Effects on Run and Tumble - A Numerical and Experimental Study," at the 78th annual meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (APS DFD), held Nov. 22-25 in Houston, Texas.
APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and around the world. APS produces 19 journals dedicated to publishing the most influential developments in fundamental, applied, and interdisciplinary research.
Moving Research
In their SSRP abstract, Fincham and Podolan explain: "Many bacteria swim by spinning their helical tails called flagella. Flagella come with a wide variety of geometric parameters for different bacteria. In this work, we study how the different geometries affect the swimming of bacteria via computer simulations and benchtop experiments."
Though their project essentially is complete, Fincham says, "We are pushing on this spring to complete more work. Currently, we are working with other students to show them the ropes and hand our work down to them so the project can continue strongly in the future."
What We Did
Fincham: "We performed numerical simulations and experiments to investigate how varying geometries of helix-shaped flagella affect their interactions with each other and the surrounding fluid. I handled the experimental side and was in charge of designing various parts to 3D print, like model flagella and adapters, as well as programming motors to assemble an experiment apparatus with varying uses. Performing experiments involving the attracting and repelling velocities of rotating model helices was also an aspect, on top of gathering and analyzing the data from these experiments."
Why This Experience?
Podolan: "My advisor, Han Guo, recommended it to me, saying it would be a great chance to work on my personal skills. It sounded fun and interesting to me, so I decided to do it."
Fincham: "Research is something I hope to conduct in my future work, so the chance to be able to participate in a research project and learn its ins, outs, and difficulties is very valuable to me. I hope to be able to apply everything I have learned from my colleagues thus far."
Favorite Moments
Podolan: "Going to the APS DFD conference in November. It was so interesting to be able to see all the research people were doing, meet experts in the field and ask them questions, and spend time with my peers in an educational environment."
Fincham: "My favorite moment of the experience was finally getting the experimental apparatus running. It took a bit of learning about motors, drivers, and circuits in general, but the payoff of seeing what you assembled is like no other. This feeling is amplified when you actually start getting results from what you have put so much time in."
Lessons Learned
Fincham: "By far the most important thing I learned is the level of passion and dedication you need to carry on research. The best way I could put it is while researching, you will shoot and miss, try again and fall short, and right before you throw in the towel, it'll work. Your passion and dedication for a given subject is what will drive you to continue, even when the going gets hard. Learning this is valuable to me, as when I find a subject and question that I am very passionate about, I will have found exactly what I am capable of leading research in."
Podolan: "I learned a lot about individual work ethic. Doing research is a choice, and if you aren't passionate about what you do, you shouldn't do it. Every day I had to make the decision to show up and want to learn more, and every day I was glad I did so.
"While the research I did was very interesting, it did teach me that I am not interested in research at a graduate level. I am ready to get into the industry. This experience mattered to me because it made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than just schoolwork. I got to continue on research made by people in the past, and I know that more people will continue on the work that I've made. That feeling is amazing."
While presenting, we actually had the pleasure of meeting other physicists that we had referenced in our work.
Conference Benefits
Fincham: "I benefited from presenting at the conference through the presentation experience and the networking. While presenting, we actually had the pleasure of meeting other physicists that we had referenced in our work. I also met and talked to many people who recommended their papers, which had valuable insight on ways to better and further the project."
Our Mentors
Fincham: "The project involved two faculty members, Hanliang "Han" Guo and Kyle Pellegrin. Dr. Guo took on the role of leading the project, informing us of what direction to take next and navigating the different challenges the research presented. Kyle helped purely with the experimental side, helping me learn to use software that I could program motors with and 3D modeling programs that I designed adapters and helices with."
(Guo, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Mathematics & Computer Science and OWU's liaison with the Computer Science industry. Pellegrin, M.S., is the manager of OWU's Physics Lab with expertise in 3D printing.)
Campus Involvements
Fincham: "Greek life and track & field are my two biggest involvements. In the past, I was the president of Alpha Sigma Phi and a varsity decathlete on the track & field team, but as of this year, I am the chapter's secretary and a varsity pole vaulter."
Podolan: "I am the vice president of finance for Alpha Sigma Phi. I play lots of intramural sports, including volleyball, spikeball, and pickleball."
Why Ohio Wesleyan?
Fincham: "I chose to attend Ohio Wesleyan because they offered a great astrophysics program, as well as giving me the opportunity to continue my track & field career."
Podolan: "It was a small school close to my home with a math major. Plus, my mom came here, and her parents before her, so I'm a double legacy!"
Plans After Graduation
Podolan: "I want to go into industry as an actuary. The Career Connection Office at OWU has helped me the most. They provide amazing resume insight, mock interviews, and so many sessions that are helping me prepare for life after graduation."
Fincham: "My plans after graduation are to pursue a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and to research either galaxy evolution or stellar populations."