{"id":5,"date":"2014-09-30T14:43:26","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T18:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/home\/"},"modified":"2025-03-11T09:33:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T13:33:11","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; border: solid 0px black; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; margin-top:0em;\">\n<hr style=\" border: 0; height: 1px; background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); background-image:    -moz-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); background-image:     -ms-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); background-image:      -o-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); margin-top:0em; margin-bottom:0em;\">\n<div style=\"display:inline-block; zoom:1; *display:inline; width:23%; margin:1% auto; border-right:1px solid black; text-align:center;\">\n<span style=\"font-size:2em; font-family:Verdana; font-variant: small-caps;\"><a href=\"\/moss\/research\/\" style=\"color: #CC0000;\">research<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:inline-block; zoom:1; *display:inline;width:23%; margin:auto; border-right:1px solid black; text-align:center;\">\n<span style=\"font-size:2em; font-family:Verdana; font-variant: small-caps;\"><a href=\"\/moss\/people\/\" style=\"color: #CC0000;\">people<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:inline-block; zoom:1; *display:inline;width:23%; margin:auto; border-right:1px solid black; text-align:center;\">\n<span style=\"font-size:2em; font-family:Verdana; font-variant: small-caps;\"><a href=\"\/moss\/courses\/\" style=\"color: #CC0000;\">courses<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:inline-block; zoom:1; *display:inline;text-align: center; width:23%; margin:auto; border:0px solid black;\"><span style=\"font-size:2em; font-family:Verdana; font-variant: small-caps;\"><a href=\"\/moss\/blog\/\" style=\"color: #CC0000;\">blog<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\" border: 0; height: 1px; background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); background-image:    -moz-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); background-image:     -ms-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); background-image:      -o-linear-gradient(left, rgba(0,0,0,0), rgba(0,0,0,0.75), rgba(0,0,0,0)); margin-top:0em; margin-bottom: 2em;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size:2.5em; font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode; \">HOW DO OBJECTS CHANGE SHAPE?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/216865660\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Slender structures are ubiquitous. Commonly described by rods, plates, and shells, these thin structures are embodied by carbon nanotubes, air plane wings, blood vessels, spider silk, contact lenses, and human hair. The mechanics of these thin objects are fascinating because geometric nonlinearities will arise even as the material properties remain linear &#8211; hair will curl and tangle, skin will wrinkle, nanotubes can bend and buckle, and spider webs will elongate to several times their original length. We are interested in understanding and controlling the mechanics, physics, and geometry of these thin structures, and our lab aims to harness material and structural instability for advanced functionality.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \n\n<p><img src=\"\/moss\/files\/2015\/03\/swell.jpg\" alt=\"Swelling-induced shape change\" width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" \/><\/p>\n\n --><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Our research has utilized elastic instabilities to build <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/scirobotics.abd6426\">grasping tools<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/adfm.202403622\">mechanical computers<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/content\/articlelanding\/2017\/sm\/c7sm01693j\">linear actuators<\/a> using <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kirigami\">kirigami<\/a>. We have built load bearing <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/content\/articlelanding\/2021\/sm\/d1sm00787d\">columns<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.rsc.org\/en\/content\/articlelanding\/2022\/sm\/d2sm01010k\">beams<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/tadjournal.org\/superjammed-tunable-and-morphable-spanning-structures-through-granular-jamming\/\">arches<\/a> by combining nothing more than rocks and string. We developed a <a href=\"\">model<\/a> to explain the mechanism that governs the growth of the <a href=\"https:\/\/link.aps.org\/doi\/10.1103\/PhysRevLett.127.138102\">optic cup<\/a> &#8211; the structure that holds the eyeball. We have studied how structure pack together &#8211; how <a href=\"https:\/\/link.aps.org\/doi\/10.1103\/PhysRevLett.120.078002\">rods pack within grains<\/a>, how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2590238523000553\">grains pack on sheets<\/a>, how bundles of beams <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352431624000403\">bump<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/link.aps.org\/doi\/10.1103\/PhysRevLett.130.148201\">bunch<\/a> together<\/a>, and how <a href=\"https:\/\/link.aps.org\/doi\/10.1103\/PhysRevE.108.035002\">sheets<\/a> pack within rings. We have studied the <a href=\"\">sound<\/a> that a toy <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eye_popper\">popper<\/a> makes and the shapes of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0020746214001206\">Slinky<\/a>. We are currently interested in mechanical computation, textiles, and interactions between structures and grains.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Selected Press<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UXChEeT8Cms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UerxNyu147g\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1062249814&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/ieeeras-softrobotics\" title=\"Soft Robotics Podcast\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Soft Robotics Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/ieeeras-softrobotics\/douglas-holmes-grasping-with-kirigami-shells\" title=\"Douglas Holmes  &quot;Grasping With Kirigami Shells&quot;\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Douglas Holmes  &quot;Grasping With Kirigami Shells&quot;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tNlmeZvElMM\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kLkQ8-XVj50\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!--\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What can we learn from the physics of a slinky? How these materials are inspiring engineers to embrace instability for advanced function. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mTcFHwIxnS\">pic.twitter.com\/mTcFHwIxnS<\/a><\/p>\n\n&mdash; Boston University (@BU_Tweets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BU_Tweets\/status\/905237241836048393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 6, 2017<\/a><\/blockquote>\n\n\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n--><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img src=\"\/moss\/files\/2024\/03\/dpholmes2024.jpg\" alt=\"Douglas P. Holmes\" width=\"60%\" align=\"left\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 2em; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 0px; display:inline-block;\">Douglas P. Holmes<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px; font-style: italic;\">Curriculum Vitae:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/scl\/fi\/t49ff00qipamzu9m09xfm\/dpholmes-CV.pdf?rlkey=edvra5yq5sq77k6bnrexqgfel&#038;dl=0\">CV<\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\">Professor of Mechanical Engineering<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\">Boston University<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\">730 Commonwealth Ave., EMA 213<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\">Boston, MA 02215<\/span><!--<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\">(617) 358-1294<\/span>--><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px; font-weight: bold;\">dpholmes<\/span> [at] <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">bu<\/span> [dot] <span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">edu<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>Prof.:<\/i> BU (2025-)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>Assoc. Prof.:<\/i> BU (2019-2025)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>Asst. Prof.:<\/i> BU (2014-2019)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>Asst. Prof.:<\/i> Virginia Tech (2011-2014)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p><span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>PD:<\/i> Princeton University (2009-2011)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>Ph.D.:<\/i> UMass, Amherst (2005-2009)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>M.S.:<\/i> UMass, Amherst (2004-2005)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"margin-left: 15px;\"><i>B.S.:<\/i> UNH (2000-2004)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>research people courses blog HOW DO OBJECTS CHANGE SHAPE? Slender structures are ubiquitous. Commonly described by rods, plates, and shells, these thin structures are embodied by carbon nanotubes, air plane wings, blood vessels, spider silk, contact lenses, and human hair. The mechanics of these thin objects are fascinating because geometric nonlinearities will arise even as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1074,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions\/1074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/moss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}