Scholarship Focus Areas and Research Labs
Lizard Ecology Lab
We study lizard ecology at physiological, behavioral and population levels. Current projects include measuring hydric microclimates for several local lizard species; modeling climate change impacts on lizard populations, and modeling optimal foraging by arboreal lizards. We also work on mathematical models of evolution in variable environments. Student projects involve a mix of field work, laboratory work, and mathematical modeling.
Music Composition
Bill Alves is a composer known for his work with computer animation, electroacoustic music, alternate tunings, and gamelan. He has also published on world music traditions and the music of Lou Harrison.
HEATlab
The Human Experience & Agent Teamwork lab (HEATlab) creates new techniques for human-robot teaming—the flexible navigation and coordination of complex, inter-related activities in shared spaces. Current projects include human-robot trust and planning fluid human-robot interactions.
HMC Biophotonics Lab
The Harvey Mudd Biophotonics Lab is a group of builders working to create the next generation of optical tools for biomedicine and create pathways to expand access to the field of optics.
Bush Lab
The Bush Lab works within the area of microbial genome evolution and has developed an approach to reconstructing the history of genomic island insertions in clades of closely related microbes. They are currently working on improving various aspects of this method.
LAIR
The Lab for Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics (LAIR) focuses on multi-robot systems and their applications in the field. Current topics include shark tracking, shipwreck detection and mapping, multi-robot population tracking and pollution mapping.
Bee Lab
The Bee Lab studies how groups of animals evolve to coordinate behavior. Using mathematical models, agent-based simulation, computer vision and lab and field experiments with bees and ants, the lab explores how communication shapes collective behavior.
Don-Labs
The Donnelly laser physics lab studies the interaction of high-intensity laser light with novel microstuctured targets. Topics include laser-driven nuclear fusion and the heating mechanisms which allow laser energy to be absorbed on short timescales by solid-density materials.
Fandell Lab
In the Fandell Lab, I make photographs, videos, collages, sculptures, sounds, drawings, performances and text based works, and have had the opportunity to exhibit nationally and internationally at diverse venues, from artist run galleries to major museums. I have taken part in residencies in Austria, Ireland, and the US, and have received awards from the Tiffany Foundation and Artadia.
PEPPER lab (Plant & Ecosystem Physiology, Potential, and Environment Lab)
The PEPPER lab studies how plants respond physiologically to climate change and the impacts of those responses for the whole ecosystem. Methods include field and lab data collection, novel plant instrumentation, data harmonization, and Bayesian statistical modeling.
matH of Algorithms, Data & Decisions (HADD) research group
In the matH of Algorithms, Data & Decisions (HADD) research group, we consider problems motivated by the study of real-world data. We consider the mathematics of data, models for making decisions with data, and methods for training such models.
Lab for Investigations of Local Air Quality (LILAQ)
The Lab for Investigations of Local Air Quality (LILAQ) studies the intersection of air pollution and climate change, with an emphasis on measurements of atmospheric particulate matter. Recent projects include measurements of air pollution in Claremont, Joshua Tree, and Paris, France use aerosol mass spectrometry. In addition, work at LILAQ includes laboratory studies to simulate particular reactions of importance in clouds and fog.
MolSpec Lab
The Molspec lab uses molecular spectroscopy to understand the rotational, vibrational, and electronic energy levels and how they relate to the structure of the molecule. We use state-of-the art instrumentation, microwaves and lasers, to probe the molecules under ultra high vacuum in order to study the properties the isolated molecule and how they interact with one another.
PoSM Lab
The Physics of Soft Matter Lab studies the physical principles of soft material deformation. Current projects include green technologies that use soft materials to address our environmental footprint, such as water-processible polymers and the elastodynamics of mechanical batteries.
The Molecular Engineering Lab
The Molecular Engineering Lab at Harvey Mudd College designs engineered systems at the molecular level to address emerging challenges in the water crisis and human health at a global scale.
Susan Martonosi
Professor Martonosi is an operations researcher specializing in analytics and optimization models applied to the public and private sectors, including fake news propagation, pediatric vaccine pricing, resource allocation, data analysis, and homeland security.
Mayeri Lab
My process for making art begins with researching a new field. For one multiyear project, Primate Cinema, I interviewed a bunch of primatologists including Jane Goodall, trained people in Los Angeles to act like baboons, made films for a chimpanzee audience in Scotland, and observed squirrel monkeys at a breeding center in France.
FILM Lab
The Flow Imaging Lab at Mudd (FILM) experimentally studies biological and bioinspired fluid mechanics, and mechanically recreates swimming behaviors seen in nature to identify new strategies for underwater vehicle propulsion.
Reaction Mechanisms Lab
Ogba’s Reaction Mechanisms Lab uses state-of-the-art computational chemistry techniques and high-performance computing (HPC) power to understand the chemical interactions that govern the mechanism and outcomes of chemical reactions. Our “holy grail” is to develop simple and robust models for improving the efficiency of existing reactions and designing new ones.
Tryp Lab
The Schulz Lab uses the African trypanosome as a model system to understand how organisms reprogram themselves in response to changes in their environment. With African trypanosomes being the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle, we aim to understand how the parasites adapt to different environments in the fly and mammalian bloodstream, with an eye toward manipulating this adaption to help fight disease.
ACE Lab
The Analog Circuit Engineering (ACE) lab studies the integration of quantum, mechanical and chemical devices into modern integrated circuits.
Energy and Nanomaterials Lab
The Energy and Nanomaterials Lab at Harvey Mudd College seeks to discover solutions to energy and environmental challenges through the synthesis and applications of advanced materials.
WHISK Lab
The Workflows for Humanistic Inference of Statistical Knowledge (WHISK) explores how to help do computationally-assisted text analysis work in the humanities and social sciences.
The Social Rules Project
The Social Rules Project is an educational outreach initiative that reveals how social rules, or “institutions,” shape our planet and our lives. Prof Steinberg has collaborated with two dozen students at Harvey Mudd, Pomona College, and CalArts to create an animated film, videogame, and other educational resources.
Van Ryswyk Photovoltaics Lab
We are interested in low-cost photovoltaics, devices that convert sunlight to electricity. Our quantum dot solar cells can be produced over large surface areas at a lower cost and with a smaller energy footprint than cells made from silicon. We do it all — design, synthesis, and characterization using the tools of chemistry, physics, and materials science.
Vosburg Lab
The Vosburg lab aims to make molecules in good, beautiful, green, and clever ways. A current example is the formation of seven bonds and two rings in a single operation. Many of our target molecules have medicinal applications.
The Lab for Cognition and Attention in Time and Space (Lab for CATS)
The Lab for Cognition and Attention in Time and Space focuses on the challenge of visual understanding in unconstrained environments under different contexts. Part of our work focuses on extending our understanding of human visual processing, while the other thread applies those insights to artificial agents.