Lesson 4 (approximately 75 minutes)
A Case in Point
Exploring Case Studies in Bio-inspired Design
Overview
Biomimicry is a growing field of scientific study where engineers, design teams and artists look to nature’s vast store house of adaptation and form for ideas about how to improve efficiency in our human communities. One example of nature’s R&D supremacy is spider’s silk which, ounce for ounce, is five times stronger than steel and does not require the tremendous heat of a forge to create. When engineers in Japan were struggling to solve the problem of the loud booms created as their bullet trains compressed air at tunnel entrances, they looked to the beak of the Kingfisher as a model. Now sharp-nosed trains slip noiselessly into their subterranean passages at 320km/hr. This lesson is designed to give students a chance to research specific case studies on the internet to tell a story to their group members about how humans are increasingly embracing the science of Biomimicry to help solve some of the grand challenges of our time.
Materials
Introduction
Have students use their laptops or paper to write down as many different systems as they can think of in three minutes. Use projector to show this image to students:
A Case in Point
Exploring Case Studies in Bio-inspired Design
Overview
Biomimicry is a growing field of scientific study where engineers, design teams and artists look to nature’s vast store house of adaptation and form for ideas about how to improve efficiency in our human communities. One example of nature’s R&D supremacy is spider’s silk which, ounce for ounce, is five times stronger than steel and does not require the tremendous heat of a forge to create. When engineers in Japan were struggling to solve the problem of the loud booms created as their bullet trains compressed air at tunnel entrances, they looked to the beak of the Kingfisher as a model. Now sharp-nosed trains slip noiselessly into their subterranean passages at 320km/hr. This lesson is designed to give students a chance to research specific case studies on the internet to tell a story to their group members about how humans are increasingly embracing the science of Biomimicry to help solve some of the grand challenges of our time.
Materials
- Internet enabled computer for each student
- Biomimicry: Imitation of biological systems
- Bioinspired Design: Similar to biomimicry; design that incorporates principles from nature to economize
- Systems Thinking: Holistic approach to analyzing phenomena rather than focusing on individual parts
Introduction
Have students use their laptops or paper to write down as many different systems as they can think of in three minutes. Use projector to show this image to students:
Discuss
Task
Students break into groups of five. Classtools has a fun and editable name picker to help with this: Random Name Picker. Each person in the group will spin this wheel once to determine their case study research role for the round table presentations set to start in fifteen to twenty minutes. They need to click ‘Remove’ after their turn to ensure that their topic is pulled from the wheel before the next person’s turn. Groups will then visit the Biomimicry Case Studies page at AskNature.org to review their chosen case study and prepare a three minute summary of their case study to share with the other members of their group. Groups will be given precisely three minutes to share their work with each other before it becomes the next person’s turn.
Wrap Up
If time permits, students may watch some of Janine Benyus’s recent collaborative work with Leonardo DiCaprio: Biomimicry
Web Resources:
Sustainability Leadership Network - Biomimicry Curriculum
Applied Systems Thinking
Ask Nature
Center for Biologically Inspired Design at Georgia Tech
Biomimicry: Nature Inspired Designs
General Electric - How Nature is Inspiring Our Industrial Future
- What is a system?
- What are the components of any one system?
- How many systems can be nested inside each other like Russian dolls?
- What does it mean to be able to engage in systems thinking?
- Why is this an increasingly valuable skill?
Task
Students break into groups of five. Classtools has a fun and editable name picker to help with this: Random Name Picker. Each person in the group will spin this wheel once to determine their case study research role for the round table presentations set to start in fifteen to twenty minutes. They need to click ‘Remove’ after their turn to ensure that their topic is pulled from the wheel before the next person’s turn. Groups will then visit the Biomimicry Case Studies page at AskNature.org to review their chosen case study and prepare a three minute summary of their case study to share with the other members of their group. Groups will be given precisely three minutes to share their work with each other before it becomes the next person’s turn.
Wrap Up
If time permits, students may watch some of Janine Benyus’s recent collaborative work with Leonardo DiCaprio: Biomimicry
Web Resources:
Sustainability Leadership Network - Biomimicry Curriculum
Applied Systems Thinking
Ask Nature
Center for Biologically Inspired Design at Georgia Tech
Biomimicry: Nature Inspired Designs
General Electric - How Nature is Inspiring Our Industrial Future
Lesson 5 (approximately 30 - 45 minutes)
STEAM powered careers / Bio-inspired workplaces
Overview
More and more, biologists, artists, electrical engineers, programmers and materials scientists are coming together in the workplace to collaborate on projects that require aspects of many formerly disparate disciplines to be woven together. The science of biomimicry suggests that answers to tough problems facing humans can be found through careful observation of natural systems and living organisms. As a result of this approach, the number and type of robots that are modeled on different species has been rapidly proliferating. In this mini lesson, students will work in small groups to generate a taxonomic popplet map of different types of bio-inspired robots that exist now and are modeled on a particular species.
Materials
Computer with internet connection
Teaching Plans
Students will create a popplet that is a ‘map’ of different bio-inspired robots currently in existence.
Introduction
Show students how to search in Google for ‘robot’ or ‘robotic’ … and the name of a species such as ‘kangaroo’.
Task
Their task is to explore the intersection of the living world with robotics and generate a popplet with links to websites or youtube videos of as many robotic organisms as possible.
Wrap Up
Students can share their popplets with the class and pick two or three robotic organisms to show.
Partial list: (don't show students)
Jellyfish Manta ray
Penguin Barracuda
Dragonfly Dog
Cheetah Snake
Herring Gull Kangaroo
Human Hummingbird
Peregrine falcon Swift
Gecko Bee
Internet resources:
popplet
STEAM powered careers / Bio-inspired workplaces
Overview
More and more, biologists, artists, electrical engineers, programmers and materials scientists are coming together in the workplace to collaborate on projects that require aspects of many formerly disparate disciplines to be woven together. The science of biomimicry suggests that answers to tough problems facing humans can be found through careful observation of natural systems and living organisms. As a result of this approach, the number and type of robots that are modeled on different species has been rapidly proliferating. In this mini lesson, students will work in small groups to generate a taxonomic popplet map of different types of bio-inspired robots that exist now and are modeled on a particular species.
Materials
Computer with internet connection
Teaching Plans
Students will create a popplet that is a ‘map’ of different bio-inspired robots currently in existence.
Introduction
Show students how to search in Google for ‘robot’ or ‘robotic’ … and the name of a species such as ‘kangaroo’.
Task
Their task is to explore the intersection of the living world with robotics and generate a popplet with links to websites or youtube videos of as many robotic organisms as possible.
Wrap Up
Students can share their popplets with the class and pick two or three robotic organisms to show.
Partial list: (don't show students)
Jellyfish Manta ray
Penguin Barracuda
Dragonfly Dog
Cheetah Snake
Herring Gull Kangaroo
Human Hummingbird
Peregrine falcon Swift
Gecko Bee
Internet resources:
popplet
Lesson 6 (approximately 75 minutes)
Flying the Friendly Skies in 2025
Bio-inspired engineers are accelerating innovation in aeronautics and aerospace design
Overview
Academic researchers such as Bret Tobalske, David Lentink, Soon-jo Chung, and Wolfgang Send are deciphering mysteries of bird, bat and insect flight in an effort to help make our flying machines more agile and efficient. They are pioneers that stand on the shoulders of giants that came before them such as Paul MacCready, Otto Lilienthal, Octave Chanute, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Each of these people credit much of their understanding to spending time in nature observing flying organisms. In this lesson, students will be given time to go outside and look at the birds around them for clues about how to make our flying machines safer, lighter, and stronger. They will also explore the work of some bio-inspired innovators to develop a short 350 - 500 word 'Flying Forecast' that imagines the friendly skies in 2025.
Materials
Introduction
Show short film clip (Episode 101: The Market) from Da Vinci's Demons (1 minute). Ask students to gather their lab notebooks and something to write with. Tell them that we'll be going outside to walk around the school and observe birds (and any flying insects we might encounter) with the intention of imagining the future of flight. We'll stop as a group when we see a bird or group of birds and observe their behavior. If they are perched or on the ground, students may take note of how they walk, react to stimuli, preen, etc. Students should record observation in their notebooks to share later. Plan to spend between 15 - 30 minutes outside recording observations depending on the opportunities afforded by your teaching environment, weather, season, etc.
Flying the Friendly Skies in 2025
Bio-inspired engineers are accelerating innovation in aeronautics and aerospace design
Overview
Academic researchers such as Bret Tobalske, David Lentink, Soon-jo Chung, and Wolfgang Send are deciphering mysteries of bird, bat and insect flight in an effort to help make our flying machines more agile and efficient. They are pioneers that stand on the shoulders of giants that came before them such as Paul MacCready, Otto Lilienthal, Octave Chanute, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Each of these people credit much of their understanding to spending time in nature observing flying organisms. In this lesson, students will be given time to go outside and look at the birds around them for clues about how to make our flying machines safer, lighter, and stronger. They will also explore the work of some bio-inspired innovators to develop a short 350 - 500 word 'Flying Forecast' that imagines the friendly skies in 2025.
Materials
- Internet enabled computer for each student
- Notebook or Journal and writing implement
Introduction
Show short film clip (Episode 101: The Market) from Da Vinci's Demons (1 minute). Ask students to gather their lab notebooks and something to write with. Tell them that we'll be going outside to walk around the school and observe birds (and any flying insects we might encounter) with the intention of imagining the future of flight. We'll stop as a group when we see a bird or group of birds and observe their behavior. If they are perched or on the ground, students may take note of how they walk, react to stimuli, preen, etc. Students should record observation in their notebooks to share later. Plan to spend between 15 - 30 minutes outside recording observations depending on the opportunities afforded by your teaching environment, weather, season, etc.
Discuss
Students use their laptops to individually visit TEDEd and complete the short lesson modified by me there on Human Powered Flight. (15 minutes) As they work through the lesson, they will watch a short clip about Paul MacCready's Gossamer Condor, answer five questions about what they learned, dig deeper into the story behind the Kremer Prize and participate in an online class discussion about how new technologies might change the paradigm for personal flight. Then students will visit the fruit machine name picker to determine who their bio-inspired research professional will be. Here is the list they will choose from: (This list can be copied and pasted into the name picker for a quick and fun way to randomize which students will be paired with a particular scientist.)
Kenny Breuer
Bret Tobakske
Wolfgang Send
Toshi Nakata
Raffaello D'Andrea
David Lentink
Soon-Jo Chung
Students can use the links below to visit the research websites of each of the scientists listed above. Their goal will be to write a short 1-2 paragraph essay that imagines how the contributions their scientist is making to our body of knowledge today will impact the skies of tomorrow. Students are welcome to tie in other aspects of their learning with regard to flight and may provide ideas and examples from beyond their particular scientist's area of research, but they should definitely include a discussion of the work of their scientist.
Wrap Up
Students should share their short essays with the other members of their class orally.
Web Resources
LentinkLab at Stanford
Aerospace Robotics and Control Lab at UIUC
Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control
AniProp in Germany
Breuer Lab
Royal Veterinary College - Dr. Toshi Nakata
University of Montana Flight Lab
Biomimetic Millsystems Lab Ornithopter Project UC Berkeley
Fluid Mechanics at Brown
Extension / Independent Practice
Students can be assigned to watch "FESTO, Bird Flight Deciphered" and those that follow as homework with a discussion to follow at the next class meeting.
- How might bio-inspired designers look at flying organisms differently than other people?
- What innovations could we make by copying the way birds (and flies or butterflies) get around?
- Do we stand to gain anything at all?
Students use their laptops to individually visit TEDEd and complete the short lesson modified by me there on Human Powered Flight. (15 minutes) As they work through the lesson, they will watch a short clip about Paul MacCready's Gossamer Condor, answer five questions about what they learned, dig deeper into the story behind the Kremer Prize and participate in an online class discussion about how new technologies might change the paradigm for personal flight. Then students will visit the fruit machine name picker to determine who their bio-inspired research professional will be. Here is the list they will choose from: (This list can be copied and pasted into the name picker for a quick and fun way to randomize which students will be paired with a particular scientist.)
Kenny Breuer
Bret Tobakske
Wolfgang Send
Toshi Nakata
Raffaello D'Andrea
David Lentink
Soon-Jo Chung
Students can use the links below to visit the research websites of each of the scientists listed above. Their goal will be to write a short 1-2 paragraph essay that imagines how the contributions their scientist is making to our body of knowledge today will impact the skies of tomorrow. Students are welcome to tie in other aspects of their learning with regard to flight and may provide ideas and examples from beyond their particular scientist's area of research, but they should definitely include a discussion of the work of their scientist.
Wrap Up
Students should share their short essays with the other members of their class orally.
Web Resources
LentinkLab at Stanford
Aerospace Robotics and Control Lab at UIUC
Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control
AniProp in Germany
Breuer Lab
Royal Veterinary College - Dr. Toshi Nakata
University of Montana Flight Lab
Biomimetic Millsystems Lab Ornithopter Project UC Berkeley
Fluid Mechanics at Brown
Extension / Independent Practice
Students can be assigned to watch "FESTO, Bird Flight Deciphered" and those that follow as homework with a discussion to follow at the next class meeting.