SUMMARY

Mammals produce fluids for protection, lubrication, and nutrient & waste transport. In this study, we characterize the mechanics of two biofluids, earwax and urine. We perform SEM scans, CT scans, rheometry, creep, and adhesion testing to characterize the structure & material properties of earwax. We develop a physical model of the urethra and perform high-speed videography to characterize the flow regimes of urine. We find that earwax is a viscoelastic and shear-thinning substance that can leverage its material properties to deter crawling insects in the ear canal. We also find that the geometric and flow properties of urine affect the sound frequencies generated upon impact with toilet water. Our results can have implications on the advancement of treating ear diseases and development of insect deterrents, and they can provide a physical backing to the relatively field of uroflowmetry. Our study requires a knowledge of fluid mechanics and statistical methods, and we hypothesize that a strong preparation in mathematics can improve student performance in undergraduate fluids and statistics courses. We develop a short math refresher to distribute to undergraduate students at the beginning of the semester and use it to compare their performance in the course at the end of the semester. We find that the implementation of our refresher helps decrease withdrawal rates in a semester while maintaining class averages unchanged.