Professor Hai-Chao Han’s recent studies showed that increased lumen pressure and reduced axial tension can lead to instability of blood vessels. His theoretical models and experimental results will be presented in this talk. Han proposes that mechanical buckling could be a possible mechanism in the development of tortuous blood vessels, which is associated with aging, hypertension, and degenerative diseases in many patients.

Han’s research interests are in the area of cardiovascular biomechanics. His research has been supported by the State of Texas, AHA, NSF, and NIH; he is also a NSF CAREER award recipient. Han has published more than 60 peer-reviewed journal papers, and is a fellow of the American Heart Association and an associate editor of the ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering.

Han is a professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He received his Ph.D. in 1991 from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, with joint training from the University of California at San Diego.

The seminar will be held on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 10:00 am in University Technology Park C&D. A welcome reception will be held at 9:30 am in the University Technology Park Atrium.

For more information, contact pritzker.institute@iit.edu or 312.567.7984.