Welcome to the Comparative Biomaterials Lab at the University of Guelph led by Dr. Douglas Fudge. We study a wide range of materials made by animals, including nano-scale filaments within cells, slimes secreted to ward off predators, and large tissue-based materials like the keratinous plates of baleen whales.

We are also interested in applying what we learn from the study of biomaterials to real-life problems faced by modern societies, such as how can we make high performance materials for industry that are sustainable in their manufacture and disposal? Animals make materials to suit their needs without the benefit of petroleum and without fouling their environment in the process, and we believe that humans could do the same if we listen to the lessons that animals have to offer.

For information about current research in our lab as well as opportunities for joining our group, see the links to the left.

*Lab News*

Check out a fantastic new paper on hagfish behaviour by Vincent Zintzen and colleagues in Nature Scientific Communications. The videos of hagfish being attacked by a variety of predators (including several shark species) and repelling them with their slime are  truly amazing. Here is the link:

http://www.nature.com/srep/2011/111027/srep00131/full/srep00131.html
Zintzen V., Roberts, C.D., Anderson M.J., Stewart A.L., Struthers C.D. & Harvey E.S. (2011) Hagfish predatory behaviour and slime defence mechanism. Scientific Reports 1, 131  

The Fudge Lab, along with Jamie Miller (from Guelph) and Carl Hastrich (from the Ontario College of Art and Design) recently hosted a class of high school students from Centennial C.V.I. in Guelph for a day-long workshop on Biomimicry and Bioinspired Design. The students, along with their teacher, Doug Gajic, heard about Biomimcry as an approach to design and they also heard about the research going on in the Fudge Lab on hagfish slime and whale baleen. They spent a good part of the day brainstorming about how the unique aspects of these biomaterials and structures might be applied to modern design challenges. Most importantly, they had a chance to experience hagfish slime firsthand (see below!).

Students from Centennial CVI explore hagfish slime at a Biomimicry workshop at the University of Guelph. 

Congratulations to postdoc Oualid Haddad for being awarded a MITACS Elevate Strategic Fellowship!

Congratulations to undergraduate Dan Greenberg who was awarded an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M)!

Check out the latest publication from the Fudge Lab in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics on making silk-like fibres from hagfish slime threads (see Publications link on left for pdfs).

Congratulations to Zac Robinson for receiving the President's Medal at Carleton University at his recent convocation! See more details here.

Congratulations to Julia Herr and Tim Winegard on the publication of their papers in the Journal of Experimental Biology! (see Publications link on left for pdfs).

More congratulations to Julia Herr and Tim Winegard for receiving prestigious NSERC PGS M scholarships!

Congratulations to Lawrence Szewciw on the publication of his paper on baleen biomechanics in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. (see Publications link on left for pdfs). You can read more about this project in an At Guelph article on the University of Guelph website.

Listen to an interview with Dr. Fudge on the science radio show Are We Alone? and learn about current research on hagfish slime.

Check out other recent publications from the Fudge Lab in Integrative and Comparative Biology and Aquatic Mammals.

*FUDGE LAB OPPORTUNITIES*

*Graduate Students*

We are currently seeking multiple M.Sc. and Ph.D students to start in Sepember 2011 or January 2012 on a variety of different projects.