Ecomorphological Diversity of Phyllostomid Bats:

2025-12-01T12:16:25+00:00

Access to specimens is a common barrier in the development of educational models for science outreach. However, 3D scanning and printing create an opportunity to produce small files that can be inexpensively reproduced as scaled 3D objects, dramatically expanding the diversity of specimens that may be used to introduce K-12 students and other members of the public to scientific concepts, creating models that are more interesting, engaging, and easy to maintain. Here, the skulls of seven species of phyllostomid bat, representing extreme dietary and morphological diversity, but generally unavailable to the public due to small size and scarcity of specimens, were microCT scanned, scaled up, and 3D printed as an educational tool for elementary school science outreach programs. Specimen files for printing (.stl format) and educational fact sheets are included in supplemental materials for others to access and use.

A Poynting Vector Analogue in Rotating Reference Frames

2026-03-11T05:43:12+00:00

The equation of motion of a particle of mass m at position r and moving with velocity r dot in a non-inertial reference frame rotating with angular velocity w can be expressed in terms of mechanical electric E and magnetic H field analogues of those found in electromagnetic theory. In this paper these analogue fields are used to define a Poynting vector analogue field S interpreted as a force current vector field and it is shown that the S vector field has a natural Helmholtz decomposition - the irrotational component being 1/2 the previously identified centripetal force current vector obtained from Ampere's law when applied to these analogue E and H fields. The Divergence Theorem and Stoke' s Theorem are used to associate S with rotational power and rotational kinetic energy.

Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science

Ecomorphological Diversity of Phyllostomid Bats:

A Poynting Vector Analogue in Rotating Reference Frames