• Super-organisms, exemplified by insect societies, solve complex problems collectively, sans plan or planner, on scales much larger than the individual.  Motivated by observations in the field and in the lab, I will describe how different orders of social insects actively regulate their micro-environment by constructing and deconstructing complex functional architectures.

  • Fiber optic sensing has transformed the way we monitor our world, turning optical fibers into intelligent networks capable of detecting changes in temperature, strain, acoustic wave and vibrations over vast distances. By leveraging the fundamental properties of light in fibers—such as phase, polarization, frequency spectrum and scattering—these sensors provide real-time insights for critical infrastructure and environmental monitoring.