Giulio Facchini (Université Libre de Bruxelles) - Morphogenesis and mechanics of saddle-shaped bio-structures: growth and failure of arboreal termite nests.

I am interested in 3D highly connected saddle-shaped structures that resemble minimal surfaces and

play biological functions in several organisms. In particular, I study how these structures form, via

self-organised accretion processes that involve multiple agents and elementary interaction rules. In

parallel, I also investigate the mechanical properties associated to their geometry which may inspire

the manufacturing of bio-inspired material.

I will present a recent work that I have done on the morphogenesis of arboreal termite nests

including modeling and laboratory experiments that show how surface curvature is sufficient to

organise termite collective work. Next, I will present ongoing research on the behavior of these

objects under compression, which revealed their capacity to absorb mechanical energy and a rich

fracture dynamics that can be described with statistical tools.