Using my #3Dmodeling skills from industrial design, during my undergrad, I had produced a simplified model of an interpretation of how the canal system of the marine sponge Geodia barretti was structured based on epoxy casts taken off live individuals. The plan was that this 3D model was going to be given to an MSc student in engineering who would use it to later conduct #ComputationalFluidDynamics (CFD) to model the flow of the sea water being continuously pumped by the sponge. (3/4)

Now when I think about it, maybe you could do some sort of 3D scan of the casts to get a rough model (I think they use this in paleontology on dinosaur skeletons) or do histology (although cross sections may be difficult to interpret for a sponge) or do a CT scan. But! For those, you would need to remove the animal from its habitat, and so the measurements would no longer be taken in situ, which is preferable when dealing with threatened or keystone species ― like these sponges. (4/4)

I had only seen DeepPIV (emphasis on the ‘deep’) done on transparent animals or transparent structures made by animals. What I had meant was “Is it possible to model the flow within an opaque organism using particle image velocimetry?”. While my question was not worded properly, I think she still understood what I was asking because she did end up answering it in the end! (6/6)

At that time, I had learned that particle image velocimetry (#PIV) was a technique used to study the fluid dynamics of swimming in fishes. You may have a fish in a flume with seawater that has silver particles suspended in it. The silver particles are then illuminated in a 2D plane using a laser sheet and recorded by a camera at consecutive intervals. This later allows you to map vectors around the fish, showing the flow paths and velocity of the fluid. (5/6)

As soon as Kakani began to answer, I realized that – oops! ― I actually already knew the answer! Back when I was at #BamfiedMSC, prior to beginning my Biology of Marine Fishes course, I had read in the syllabus about all the methods used to study #fishes. I was VERY excited to take this course because #TimHigham was one of the instructors and he specialized in #biomechanics. (4/6)

I managed to come up with a question and typed it in. This moment is now permanently preserved on YouTube at 39:43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTK2Dwt77sY. I had typed, “Is it possible to do PIV on non-transparent animals?”. (3/6)

My boyfriend (at the time) and I were on the phone, super excited, fan girling over Kakani and her work on giant #larvaceans. During the talk, my friend showed up at my door so we could go for a walk together; so, I let her in ― at a distance. I was in the middle of trying to come up with a question to ask. My boyfriend was cheering me on, and my friend didn’t really know what was happening, but watched on, amused. (2/6)