Hello there! My name's Kilian, and I'm an undergraduate honors student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I'm currently pursuing dual degrees in aerospace engineering and engineering physics, with specific concentrations in astronautics and spacecraft systems. As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also declared minors in applied mathematics and computer-aided design & manufacturing. Amidst my academic journey, my passion lies in biologically-inspired robotics and space exploration, which I'm eager to delve deeper into through graduate studies and research. 

Outside the classroom, I work as a research assistant in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab under Dr. Aroh Barjatya, where I contribute to ongoing projects and pursue my own research. I also enjoy tutoring at the Academic Advancement Center, helping students excel in their studies. This summer, I'll be taking part in the Robotics Institute Summer Scholars program at Carnegie Mellon University, where I'll have the opportunity to learn from leading figures in the robotics field and prepare for graduate school. 

Beyond my academic pursuits, I thoroughly enjoy playing soccer, learning about the natural world, improving my French, and experimenting with different artistic mediums. If you'd like to talk or have any questions, feel free to reach out to me via email at kilianolen@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm always open to new conversations!

Principles of Animal Locomotion by R. McNeill Alexander 

How can geckos walk on the ceiling and basilisk lizards run over water? What are the aerodynamic effects that enable small insects to fly? What are the relative merits of squids’ jet-propelled swimming and fishes’ tail-powered swimming? Why do horses change gait as they increase speed? What determines our own vertical leap? Recent technical advances have greatly increased researchers’ ability to answer these questions with certainty and in detail.

This text provides an up-to-date overview of how animals run, walk, jump, crawl, swim, soar, hover, and fly. Excluding only the tiny creatures that use cilia, it covers all animals that power their movements with muscle — from roundworms to whales, clams to elephants, and gnats to albatrosses. The introduction sets out the general rules governing all modes of animal locomotion and considers the performance criteria — such as speed, endurance, and economy — that have shaped their selection. It introduces energetics and optimality as basic principles. The text then tackles each of the major modes by which animals move on land, in water, and through air. It explains the mechanisms involved and the physical and biological forces shaping those mechanisms, paying particular attention to energy costs.

Focusing on general principles but extensively discussing a wide variety of individual cases, this is a superb synthesis of current knowledge about animal locomotion. It will be enormously useful to advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and a range of professional biologists, physicists, and engineers.