MULTIMEDIA/SCIENCE | Graduate student and lab member Japheth Omonira took Sun science editor Laine Havens on a tour of the Itai Cohen lab, a biophysics lab that focuses on matter in motion, including biological tissues, microscopic robots and insect flight.
Omonira said he specifically studies cartilage from cow knees — shearing the tissue under a microscope to better understand its mechanics.
“[Cartilage] doesn’t have a good ability to repair itself, and it still lasts for like sixty plus years without breaking down,” Omonira said. “We’re trying to figure out why that is, and all of that lies in the mechanics. If we understand the mechanics, we [can] understand why our knees work for sixty years without hurting.”
The Sun got a glimpse into his everyday workspace, complete with gaming computers, cat calendars and hallway showers.
Hosted by Laine Havens
Filmed by Marian Caballo, Julia Senzon
Edited by Marian Caballo
Produced by Laine Havens, Marian Caballo
Marian Caballo is a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and was the multimedia and data science editor on the 142nd and 141st editorial boards. Marian also served as an assistant news editor. She is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at mcaballo@cornellsun.com.
Julia Senzon is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is the editor-in-chief of the 143rd Editorial Board and was the managing editor of the 142nd Editorial Board. She can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com or 908-672-3047.
