Student(s): Tyler Richardson
Project: Exploring Active Granular Media
Advisor(s): James Gilchrist
Abstract
This study aims to understand Janus particle microroller behavior under constraints by investigating the dynamic navigation of Janus particles through 3D printed mazes. The particles are 44 μm PMMA beads coated on one half with iron oxide and activated using an oscillating magnetic field. The mazes are made of transparent materials for clear visualization and efficient lighting, and they have complex patterns with branching pathways and dead ends. To understand their motion, particles are investigated under simpler systems where they swarm and move unidirectionally and their velocity and microroller flux is quantified. Using these rules, better design systems are developed to actuate swarms of rollers and navigate them through complex geometries.
About Tyler Richardson
Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Tyler Richardson is a senior Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering student at Lehigh University with a minor in Materials Science and Engineering. His research focuses on magnetically responsive Janus microparticles and their behavior in confined environments, with emerging applications in biofilm disruption and targeted transport. Tyler has conducted research under Professor James Gilchrist and presented his work at the AIChE Annual Meeting. He has completed process engineering co-op rotations with Johnson & Johnson and worked as a Manufacturing Lab Engineering Intern at Victaulic, where he supported materials testing, process optimization, and manufacturing quality improvement initiatives. Outside of research, Tyler serves as Vice President of Lehigh’s AIChE chapter, organizing professional and networking events for engineering students. After graduation, he will join HarbisonWalker International as a FIRE Program Engineer and plans to pursue a part-time master’s degree in biomedical engineering.