On a Model for the Growth of Tree Stems and Vines

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• Michele Palladino, Penn State University
• Friday 23 March 2018, 14:00-15:00
• 1109B (CAP seminar room) .

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Giordano Scarciotti.

Abstract In this talk, we propose a model describing the growth of tree stems and vine, taking into account also the presence of external obstacles. The system evolution is described by an integral differential equation which becomes discontinuous when the stem hits the obstacle. The stem feels the obstacle reaction not just at the tip, but along the whole stem. This fact represents one of the main challenges to overcome, since it produces a cone of possible reactions which is not normal with respect to the obstacle. However, using the geometric structure of the problem and optimal control tools, we are able to prove the well-posedness of the model under natural assumptions on the initial data. Further research directions to model different natural shapes will be also presented.

Biography Dr Michele Palladino is Research Associate in the Mathematics Department at Penn State University. He is currently visiting the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford. He obtained a BSc in Mathematics and a MSc in Applied Mathematics at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 2009 and 2011, respectively. As a recipient of a Marie Curie fellowship in the ITN -SADCO framework, he joined the Control and Power group at Imperial College in 2012 and he obtained his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering under the supervision of Prof Richard Vinter in 2015. His work “Regularity of the Hamiltonian along the Optimal Trajectories” in collaboration with Prof Richard Vinter has been awarded with the “SIAM Control and Optimization Best Paper Prize” in 2017. His current research interests are in optimal control and partial differential equations with applications to mathematical biology and financial mathematics.

This talk is part of the Control and Power Seminars series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• 1109B (CAP seminar room)
• Andrea Picciau's list
• Control and Power Seminars

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