BIOMIMICRY DESIGN APPROACHES A GUIDE FOR K- 12 TEACHERS

Transcription

1 BIOMIMICRY DESIGN APPROACHES A GUIDE FOR K- 12 TEACHERS At the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, we teach two ways of doing biomimetic design. We call them Biology to Design and Challenge to Biology. The names refer to the starting point and the direction of inquiry. For example, are you starting with an insight about how nature does something special and applying that to human design? Or, are you starting with a question or problem and asking nature how to solve it? In reality, biomimetic design is not a linear procedure, but rather happens in cycles often moving between the two approaches. Yet, we find these simplified design methods are a helpful teaching tool, making the process more tangible to young people. The pages that follow are meant to complement the Biomimicry Youth Challenge design approaches diagram. They may be used by educators as a reference or by older students, as a supplement to the diagram. Before You Begin Introduce biomimicry to your students The first step is to introduce your students to the concept of biomimicry and learning from nature. There are many ways to do this and you ll find a variety of grade- appropriate suggestions in Biomimicry K- 12 Educators Pathway and Resources provided on the Biomimicry Education Network: Biomimicry Vocabulary It may be helpful to discuss key vocabulary terms before taking your students through the Biology to Design or Challenge to Biology design processes. A list is provided on the following page Biomimicry 3.8 Institute Free to use and reproduce for educational purposes. Biomimicry.net AskNature.org

2 BIOMIMICRY VOCABULARY Organism A living thing; plants, animals, fungi, and microbes are all organisms. Strategy A way to accomplish a particular goal, or meet a need. Adaptation A strategy an organism has evolved over a long time in response to conditions in the organism s environment. For example polar bears have thick fur (a strategy) to keep warm in their cold, snowy home (the environment). Function The purpose of a strategy; what the strategy does for the organism, or for a human design. Example: One function of the polar bear s fur is to keep it warm; one function of your house is to provide you with shelter from the environment. Challenge A problem you want to solve, an important issue that you want to find a solution for. Design (v) a human activity of making something with a specific purpose or function; (n) the result of such activity. Evaluate To check your work by asking questions from different perspectives Biomimicry 3.8 Institute Free to use and reproduce for educational purposes. Biomimicry.net AskNature.org

3 BIOMIMICRY YOUTH CHALLENGE CHOOSE YOUR DESIGN APPROACH BIOLOGY TO DESIGN: 1. EXPLORE NATURE Discover an inspiring organism and learn about its adaptations. 2. BRAINSTORM Find human applications for the organism s adaptation(s). What can this organism help us to do better? CHALLENGE TO BIOLOGY: 1. DEFINE the CHALLENGE Decide what problem you want to solve. Then ask: How would nature? (function) 2. EXPLORE NATURE Find natural models for the problem you want to solve. Identify the organism that is best at doing what you want to do. 3. CREATE YOUR DESIGN Apply the strategy of the adaptation to the human challenge. Draw, sketch, and create models 4. EVALUATE and ADAPT Ask: Will it work? Is it sustainable? Does the design create any new problems? Make changes to fix any problems you find Biomimicry 3.8 Institute Free to use and reproduce for educational purposes.

4 BIOLOGY TO DESIGN 1. Explore Nature Discover an inspiring organism and learn about its adaptations. Go outside, use AskNature.org, look through natural history books, watch YouTube videos or nature programs, visit zoos, talk to biologists. Pick an organism and describe its adaptation(s). Think about function: what is the adaptation doing for the organism? o Example: Why does a polar bear have white fur? Or: What is the function of the polar bear s white fur? o Remember, there may be more than one function for a particular adaptation and adaptations may be physical traits or behaviors. Example: The polar bear s white fur is both a strategy for camouflage and a strategy for keeping warm. Observe or study your organism carefully to understand how the adaptation functions. o Example: The polar bear s white fur helps it hide from its prey by blending in with the snow. It also helps the bear stay warm because the hairs are actually translucent and allow the suns rays to warm its black skin underneath. 2. Brainstorm Find human applications for the organism s adaptation(s). What can this organism help us do better? o Example: We can make better insulation for extremely cold conditions by mimicking the polar bear s fur. 3. Create Your Design Apply the strategy of the adaptation to the human challenge. Think creatively. Figure out how you could mimic the organism s adaptation or strategy to make your design work. Draw, sketch, create models. 4. Evaluate and Adapt Ask questions: Will it work? Is it practical? Is it sustainable? Does the design create new problems? Make changes to the design to fix any problems you find. o Example: You ve designed an insulation that mimics the polar bear s fur, but now you realize it s brittle (isn t practical) and it uses a material that is harmful to the environment. Go back to step 3 and try out some other ideas Biomimicry 3.8 Institute Free to use and reproduce for educational purposes. Biomimicry.net AskNature.org

5 CHALLENGE TO BIOLOGY 1. Define the Challenge Decide what problem you want to solve. Then ask: How would nature? (fill in the blank with a verb) Think carefully about functions needed to solve your challenge o Example: If you want to design a warm house for a cold location, the function to look for might be, How does nature stay warm/retain heat? 2. Explore Nature Find natural models for the problem you want to solve. Identify the organism that is best at doing what you want to do. Go outside, use AskNature.org, look through natural history books, watch YouTube videos, visit zoos, talk to biologists. Pick one or more champion adapters, an organism whose strategies make it very good at the particular function you are designing for. o Example: The polar bear can tolerate extremely cold conditions. Learn about what strategies, or adaptations, allow that organism to be so effective at the function. Remember, strategies may be physical traits or behaviors and more than one strategy might be used by the organism. o Example: The polar bear s fur is not only thick and insulating, it is also translucent and allows sunlight to warm the bear s black skin underneath. 3. Create Your Design Apply the strategy of the adaptation to the human challenge. Think carefully about how the adaptation functions and how you could mimic that strategy in your design. Draw, sketch, create models. 4. Evaluate and Adapt Ask questions: Will it work? Is it practical? Is it sustainable? Does the design create new problems? Make changes to the design to fix any problems you find. o Example: You ve designed an insulation that mimics the polar bear s fur, but now you realize it s brittle (isn t practical) and it uses a material that is harmful to the environment. Go back to step 3 and try out some other ideas Biomimicry 3.8 Institute Free to use and reproduce for educational purposes. Biomimicry.net AskNature.org