California State University Fullerton                                                                 Follow Misty on X (Twitter) @FABBLab

Bioinspiration Lab at California State University Fullerton

P.I. Misty Paig-Tran

Sharks, rays, whales, and other critters. Nature is our inspiration. 

 

The FABB Lab explores performance in organisms ranging from plankton to the largest organisms on Earth (baleen whales). The lab operates at the interface of biology and materials science. The majority of our work is focused within the marine realm, though from time to time we investigate performance in terrestrial critters. 

FABB Lab Fall 2018. Back: Raj Divi, Andrew Lowe, Ryan Fitterer, Ashleigh Davis, Jacob Javier

Front: Lindsay Maldonado, Misty Paig-Tran (PI), Leslie Barron

 

Oceanside Oarfish 2013
Oceanside Oarfish 2013
Whale shark feeding in Holbox, Mexico. JEB cover shot (2011). Photo by Louise Murray.
Whale shark feeding in Holbox, Mexico. JEB cover shot (2011). Photo by Louise Murray.

Research focus 

Animal performance and bio- inspiration. 

 

Evolution and performance of filter-feeding in sharks and rays (whale sharks, basking sharks, megamouth sharks and manta/mobula rays).

 

 

This work is supported in part by:

  • National Science Foundation
  • CSU COAST
  • CSUF Jr/Sr Funding
  • CSUF Violet Horn Funding
  • CSUF Coppel Funding
  • CSUF Hillman-McClanahan Funding
  • CSUF Jerome Wilson Funding
  • CSUF Rachel Carson Funding

 

 

 

FABB Lab in the news

JEB. 2011
JEB. 2011

BBC World News mantas as filters for microplastics

 

Microplastics in sardines (Spectrum news)

 

Microplastic in Pacific sardines (CSUF)

 

Shark School at California Academy of Sciences. Learn about why Whale sharks are the true murder beasts of the sea.

 

Oarfish with BYU podcast

https://www.byuradio.org/60499e70-454e-4a1a-bedc-1dc597f57747

 

National Geographic Feature on Corydoras

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2021/01/tiny-catfish-shrugs-off-piranha-bites/

 

Bad Science Podcast The Shape of Water

https://podtail.com/en/podcast/bad-science/the-shape-of-water-w-steph-tolev/

 

Bad Science Podcast Finding Nemo

https://podtail.com/en/podcast/bad-science/finding-nemo-w-jackie-tohn/

 

KFI Radio

http://www.kfiam640.com/onair/bill-carroll-37820/weird-science-they-mystery-of-the-13870282/

 

Daily Breeze

http://www.dailybreeze.com/environment-and-nature/20150818/scientists-discover-dead-14-foot-oarfish-on-catalina-island

 

Science Friday NPR Manta Ray Gill Rakers 2014

http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/10/23/2014/no-strain-no-gain-filter-feeding-mantas.html

 

Science Friday NPR Oarfish 2014

http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/07/24/2014/oarfish-the-ultimate-fish-tale.html

Radio feature:

http://www.sciencefriday.com/playlist/#play/segment/9490

 

Daily Titan

http://www.dailytitan.com/2014/11/applying-natures-miracles-for-practical-solutions/

 

Clearing and staining 

http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/01/07/stunning-fish-skeletons-serve-science-and-art/

 

Crowd funding

https://asunews.asu.edu/20140106-imaging-future

 

2013 Oarfish work

PBS Interview

http://video.pbssocal.org/video/2365116093/

 

New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/science/earth/oarfish-offer-chance-to-study-an-elusive-animal-long-thought-a-monster.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp&

 

Nature article 

http://www.nature.com/news/oarfish-s-misfortune-is-scientists-boon-1.14040

 

Fullerton

http://www.dailytitan.com/2014/05/assistant-biology-professor-studies-oarfish/

http://news.fullerton.edu/2013fa/oarfish-scan.asp

http://news.fullerton.edu/2013fa/oarfish.asp

http://www.dailytitan.com/2013/10/csuf-professor-studies-oarfish-remains/

http://www.dailytitan.com/2013/12/csuf-marine-biologist-makes-waves-in-oarfish-research/

 

UCLA

http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/radiologists-reveal-structure-249546.aspx?link_page_rss=249546

 

2013 Six-gill shark research

Pictures

http://www.science.fau.edu/sharklab/pages/fhl_6_gill_shark/index.html

San Juan islander article

http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/213391481.html

 

Mantas and whale shark research 

2013 California State University Press release & full article - Devil ray research

http://news.fullerton.edu/2013fa/mantra-ray-study.asp

http://contentstore.fullerton.edu/news/2013fa/rays-study-paig-tran%20.asp

 

2013 San Juan Islander

http://www.sanjuanislander.com/columns/tide-bites/7279-how-do-fish-get-so-big-when-they-are-eating-something-so-small

 

2013 University of Washington press: 

http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/09/19/mantas-devil-rays-butchered-for-apothecary-trade-now-identifiable/

 

2013 American Microscopical Society: http://amicros.org/?page_id=534

 

2013 Friday Harbor Laboratories feature:  http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/enews/winter2013/misty.html

  

2011 Inside JEB Feature: 

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/214/10/iii.full?sid=15d40910-ebf1-449c-81ad-fdc564782013

 

2011 American Elasmobranch Societyhttp://elasmo.org/pastawardwinners.php

 

2010 UCI COSMOS program

http://news.uci.edu/features/summer-by-the-numbers/

http://www.cosmos.uci.edu/news09-week1.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucirvine/8638041959/

 

I am affiliated with Manta.org. Please visit this site to learn more about other ongoing manta ray research.

For a link to my work from FHL visit 

http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/enews/winter2013/misty.html

 

All images on this website belong to Misty Paig-Tran, The Journal of Experimental Biology, and the Journal of Morphology. Please feel free to use these images for presentations as long as you properly credit the images. No images may be shared for other purposes, including websites, without my permission. 

 

 

Note: Students interested in joining the FABB lab should contact Dr. Paig-Tran directly. Include a short statement of who you are and your research interests. It is helpful to include an updated C.V. 

 

*Remember, before contacting any professor about joining their lab, make sure that you do your homework. Know what their lab does. Try to read one of their papers or at least an abstract from their papers.

 

Have a possible research question ready to discuss. This impresses P.I.s and gives you the advantage over students who have not taken the time to look into what happens in that lab.

 

Contact Misty: 

empaig-tran@fullerton.edu