Boise State Teams with the Universities of Utah and Cal-Davis and Florida Institute of Technology On National Science Foundation Grant

Dr. Grady Wright, associate professor of mathematics at Boise State, is the principal investigator on a collaborative National Science Foundation grant to study "Chemically-active Viscoelastic Mixture Models in Physiology".  Wright will be working with the University of Utah, University of Cal-Davis and the Florida Institute of Technology on the project, which was awarded a grant of $1.1 million.

Wright and his collaborators will utilize mathematical and computational models to provide researchers with a better understanding of certain biological processes in the human body where viscoelastic fluids such as mucus play a fundamental role.  

"Viscoelastic fluids found in the body are difficult to study experimentally," Wright said.  "Mathematical modeling and simulation of these processes provide a powerful, cheap and harmless way to understand the dynamics, mechanics and functions of these fluids."