Mercer Times

Nick Battista, an associate professor of mathematics at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), has been awarded a three-year, $124,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. This funding will support his research into the interactions between predators and prey underwater, focusing on cnidarians such as jellyfish and coral.

Battista's interest in fluid dynamics began during his PhD studies when he explored the development of the human heart. Encouraged by his advisor to take up scuba diving for inspiration from nature, Battista now regularly visits the Florida Keys for field studies with his research team.

The grant will enable Battista and his colleagues to develop computational methods that analyze how fluid dynamics affect cnidarians' attempts to capture plankton. "We’re still learning things from animals all the time," Battista notes. He emphasizes that understanding these interactions involves complex physics despite appearing simple.

The research combines calculus, geometry, differential equations, and machine learning with biological observations. Battista plans to involve TCNJ undergraduates in mathematical modeling aspects of this multidisciplinary project. While focused on aquatic life, the research aims to create mathematical approaches applicable in various fields beyond marine biology.

“A beautiful thing about math,” Battista states, “is that the same methods we’re creating to study how animals swim and interact can be used for completely different applications in engineering or medicine, too.”