Research

Under the guidance of Professor Maurizio Porfiri, Nicole is developing novel research directions in marine systems, including aquatic animals and underwater vehicles. Specifically, she is conducting theoretical and experimental research on the schooling behavior of giant danios. In a significant departure from the existing literature, where quantitative models of fish collective response are generally behavior-based, Nicole's modeling effort exploits a graph theoretic perspective wherein individual fish are represented as vertices on a graph and fish-to-fish interaction are represented as weighted or directed edges connecting vertices. The newly developed modeling framework has facilitated the application of consensus protocols to analyze spatio-temporal pattern formation of fish shoals due to engineered stimuli, such as light and sound. Nicole is also engaged in the design and development of a robotic fish that uses ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) for propulsion. Specifically, she has collaborated with a team of graduate students in Professor Porfiri's Dynamical Systems Laboratory, to fabricate hardware for several miniature robots and develop the software for robot's remote-controlled operation. The two streams of Nicole's research, viz., live fish collective behavior and robotic fish, will be soon merged to investigate interactions among live and robotic fish to develop an improved understanding of traits such as leadership and decision making in animal groups.

Figure: Nicole Abaid with a robotic and live fish. Nicole is adjusting the robotic arm that introduces flapping fin stimulus in the annular fish tank.