Daniel Goldman
Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 2002
Phone: 404-894-0993
Room: Howey-C202

EMail: daniel.goldman [at] physics.gatech.edu

Lab Website

Personal Website

 

■ Research ■

My research integrates my work in complex fluids and granular media and the biomechanics of locomotion of organisms and robots to address problems in nonequilibrium systems that involve interaction of matter with complex media. For example, how do organisms like lizards, crabs, and cockroaches cope with locomotion on complex terrestrial substrates (e.g. sand, bark, leaves, and grass). I seek to discover how biological locomotion on challenging terrain results from the nonlinear, many degree of freedom interaction of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of organisms with materials with complex physical behavior. The study of novel biological and physical interactions with complex media can lead to the discovery of principles that govern the physics of the media. My approach is to integrate laboratory and field studies of organism biomechanics with systematic laboratory studies of physics of the substrates, as well as to create mathematical and physical (robot) models of both organism and substrate. Discovery of the principles of locomotion on such materials will enhance robot agility on such substrates.
 

■ Publications ■

1. "Scaling and dynamics of sphere and disk impact into granular media, Daniel I. Goldman and Paul B. Umbanhowar, submitted to PRE (2007)"
2. “Dynamics of rapid vertical climbing in a cockroach reveals a template”, Daniel I. Goldman, Tao S. Chen, Daniel M. Dudek, and Robert J. Full, The Journal of Experimental Biology, 209, 2990-3000 (2006).
3. “The RiSE Climbing Robot: Body and Leg Design”, A. Saunders, D. I. Goldman, R. J. Full and M. Buehler, Unmanned Systems Technology VIII, SPIE, 6230, 623017 (2006).
4. “Signatures of glass transition in a fluidized bed of hard spheres”, Daniel I. Goldman and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters, 96, 145702 (2006).
5. “Low density fragile states in cohesive powders”, Paul B. Umbanhowar and Daniel I. Goldman, American Journal of Physics, 74, 720-721 (2006).
6. “Robotics in Scansorial Environments”, Kellar Autumn, Martin Buehler, Mark Cutkosky, Ronald Fearing, Robert J. Full, Daniel Goldman, Richard Groff, William Provancher, Alfred E. Rizzi, Uluc Saranli, Aaron Saunders and Daniel Koditschek, in Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology VII, eds. Grant R. Gerhart, Charle!s M. Shoemaker, Douglas W. Gage, Proceedings of SPIE, 5804, 291-302 (2005).
7. “Stationary state volume fluctuations in a granular medium”, Matthias Schroeter, Daniel I. Goldman and Harry L. Swinney, Review E Rapid Communications 71, 030301 (2005).
8. “Mach cone in a shallow granular fluid”, Patrick Heil, E. C. Rericha, Daniel I. Goldman, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review E Rapid Communications 70, 060301, (2004).
9. “Crucial role of sidewalls in velocity distributions in quasi-2D granular gases”, J. S. van Zon, J. Kreft, Daniel I. Goldman, D. Miracle, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review E Rapid Communications 70, 040301 (2004).
10. “Noise, coherent fluctuations, and the onset of order in an oscillated granular fluid”, Daniel I. Goldman, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters 92, 174302 (2004).
11. “Persistent holes in a fluid”, Florian S. Merkt, Robert D. Deegan, Daniel I. Goldman, Erin C. Rericha, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters 92, 184501 (2004).
12. “Dynamics of drag and force distributions for projectile impact in a granular medium”, Massimo Pica Ciamarra, Antonio H. Lara, Andrew T. Lee, Daniel I. Goldman, Inna Vishik, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters 92, 194301 (2004).
13. “Stages of relaxation of patterns and the role of stochasticity on the final stage”, Shaowen Hu, Daniel I. Goldman, Donald J. Kouri, David K. Hoffman, Harry L. Swinney and Gemunu H. Gunaratne, Nonlinearity 17, 1535 (2004).
14. “Kink-induced transport and segregation in oscillated granular layers”, Sung Joon Moon, Daniel I. Goldman, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters 91, 134301 (2003).
15. “Lattice dynamics and melting of a nonequilibrium pattern”, Daniel I. Goldman, M. D. Shattuck, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters 90, 104302 (2003).
16. “Emergence of order in an oscillated granular layer”, Daniel I. Goldman, M. D. Shattuck, Harry L. Swinney, and Gemunu H. Gunaratne, Physica A 306, 180 (2002).
17. “Phase bubbles and spatiotemporal chaos in granular patterns”, Sung Joon Moon, M. D. Shattuck, C. Bizon, Daniel I. Goldman, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review E 65, 011301 (2001).
18. “Continuum-type stability balloon in oscillated granular layers”, J. R. De Bruyn., C. Bizon., M. D. Shattuck, Daniel I. Goldman, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review Letters 81, 1421 (1998).
19. “Absence of inelastic collapse in a realistic three ball model”, Daniel I. Goldman, M. D. Shattuck, C. Bizon, W. D. McCormick, J. B. Swift, and Harry L. Swinney, Physical Review E 57, 4831 (1998).

■ Honors and Awards ■

• 7/06 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award
• 1/04 First Prize, poster competition at Dynamics Days, Chapel Hill, NC
• 5/03 Outstanding dissertation award, Physics Department, UT Austin