Misty Paig-Tran, Ph.D. Functional Anatomy, Biomechanics, and Biomaterials (FABB)

California State University Fullerton Follow Misty on Twitter @FABBLab

Bioinspiration Lab at California State University Fullerton

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

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 Granting
CSUF Violet Horn Funding
CSUF Coppel Funding
CSUF Hillman-McClanahan Funding

FABB Lab in the news

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 Society: http://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: My lab is full for Fall 2024. I will not be taking additional applicants at this time.

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