education

Center for Biologically Inspired Design at Georgia Tech

The Center for Biologically Inspired Design (CBID) at Georgia Tech is a research and development team translating Nature's ecosystems - her organisms, materials, methods and sensory behavior - into sustainable models for the future.

Biomimicry Basics: How To Innovate Using Nature's Strategies

If you take this course, you will be able to:

  • Describe what biomimicry is and how it relates to other forms of bio-inspired design
  • Use the Biomimicry for Design methodology (the Biomimicry Design Spiral) for technical and non- technical design challenges
  • Articulate why biomimicry is valuable for your organization
  • Integrate biomimicry into your design process or innovation pathway

An orientation to biomimicry for K-12 Teachers

This publication was created to help K-12 educators establish a general foundation in biomimicry and provide ideas for introducing this new way of thinking and problem solving to their students. It begins with a general introduction to the “what” and “why” of biomimicry, along with some ideas for how to fit biomimicry into your education program. The Core Concepts section that follows the introduction provides added depth in key areas and offers additional suggestions and resources for sharing these concepts with students of varying ages.

ASU Offers Master’s of Science in Biomimicry and Graduate Certificate in Biomimicry

The Biomimicry Center is a joint effort between Arizona State University and Biomimicry 3.8 (B3.8) that facilitates education and research endeavors to create sustainable solutions by emulating biological forms and strategies. The Center fuses the intellectual disciplines and work of biologists, designers, engineers, business professionals, communicators, material scientists, chemists and others to address system-level opportunities and challenges.

In addition to coordinating broad sustainability initiatives related to biomimicry, the Biomimicry Center also will offer the first-ever Master’s of Science in Biomimicry and the first-ever Graduate Certificate in Biomimicry. These online programs are accredited versions of professional training programs developed by Biomimicry 3.8 since 2008.  Both the master’s and certificate programs have begun accepting applicants through ASU Online, and development of an on-campus master’s program is underway.

Biomimicry in Industrial Design for Sustainability, An Integrated Teaching-and-Learning Method

2013/08/03 attachment uploaded again - 'magically' disappeared early on August 2nd

As part of his 2009 doctoral thesis at the Graduate School of Design Research, Kobe Design University, Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos explored ways to "... develop, test, evaluate and refine an integrative and cross-disciplinary teaching method for DfS [Design for Sustainability] applicable to undergraduate ID Education. This method is based on the integrated study of nature, human society and design.  It focuses on the use of biomimicry, combined with ecodesign tools and theories of human needs analysis."  Attached is a summary of his thesis.

Public attachment: 

Bio-ID4S: Biomimicry in Industrial Design for Sustainability: An Integrated Teaching-and-Learning Method (Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos)

From Amazon.com:

Our design, production and consumption patterns must be redefined to address the new challenges faced by our society. Problems generated by traditional "industrial production" cannot be solved with the same "industrial" thinking paradigms. Eco-Design (Design for the Environment, DfE) has been widely developed and is currently taught and used in many design fields. However, DfE has recently evolved to Design for Sustainability (DfS, D4S) which not only considers environmental, but also social and economic aspects. This book discusses the use of Biomimicry as a tool for D4S.

2013 Biomimicry Youth Challenge

The Biomimicry Youth Challenge (BYC) is an international design challenge for children from Pre-Kindergarten through High School. The Challenge asks educators to help children learn from nature how to create more sustainable designs.

The goal of the Biomimicry Youth Challenge is to provide a fun and transformative opportunity for teachers, parents/guardians, and students to learn about biomimicry. With that knowledge, they can explore the practice of biomimicry as both a design tool and a new way of viewing the natural and human-built worlds. The challenge is also designed to reconnect young people with the natural world around them.

Proceedings of the Second Annual Biomimicry in Higher Education Webinar

Are you curious about tools that can help cross-disciplinary teams explore connections between biomimicry and design?  Or how biomimicry is being incorporated into interior design studios?  Or how an architecture course explores kinetic aspects of biological systems to inform the design and engineering of buildings?  Then our webinar proceedings are perfect for you.  Read all about these innovative courses and tools, learn the myriad of ways professors are engaging students in biomimicry education, and view some stunning project visuals created by students.

Introduction to Biomimicry

2014/02/19 Updated

At Biomimicry 3.8, we believe there is no better design partner than nature. But biomimicry is more than just looking at the shape of a flower or dragonfly and becoming newly inspired; it’s a methodology that’s being used by some of the biggest companies and innovative universities in the world. In this engaging, multi-media immersion into the world of Biomimicry, you’ll gain a competitive edge and a fresh perspective on how the world around us can, does, and should work.

Youth Educator Online Course (The Biomimicry Institute)

Interested in learning more about biomimicry so you can teach about the topic to your students? Do you wish you had a firm grounding in the subject? Professional development is essential support for educators teaching about biomimicry, and we are pleased to support their efforts to do it well. Whether you are completely new to biomimicry or relatively familiar with the subject, this course will provide you with a solid foundation about what biomimicry is, why it is important, and broad pedagogical considerations about how to teach this fascinating subject to your students.

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