Biomimicry Institute

Curricula

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

University Curricula

The Biomimicry Institute recently developed, piloted and evaluated the course materials described below to introduce senior-level undergraduates from a variety of disciplines (environmental studies, business, biology, pre-law, forestry, etc.) to the concept and tool of biomimicry. The course materials may easily be modified to fit freshman and/or highschool students. A basic understanding of biology and/or ecology was a prerequisite of the course. We field-tested the course materials at the University of Montana in the Department of Environmental Studies with a group of 20 junior and senior students.

We encourage you to use and/or adapt the materials and ideas we have made available to you below. We hope that they will be useful to help you plant the biomimicry seed at your institution. We would truly appreciate any feedback you may be able to offer once you’ve used the learning materials as we envision an evolving university education program through exposure to different learning environments.

Please drop our university education director, Cindy Gilbert, an email if you have any questions or ideas that you would like to share, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Note: if you want to revisit this page without completing the previous form, use this URL: http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/education/university/curricula.html

Course overview:

This course is intended to give students the opportunity to explore past, present and future examples of biomimetic solutions to human problems. Students are also exposed to examples how experts in the field of biomimicry use nature’s organisms and ecosystems as model, measure and mentor to discover engineering, architectural, business operations/management, and product development solutions. Download course syllabus here.

Course goals:

To introduce the interdisciplinary tool of biomimicry and provide real-world experiences applying this tool through individual and team work. By the end of the course, students will:

   1. have a solid understanding of biomimicry and biomimetic examples,
   2. be able to explain what biomimicry is to a variety of audiences in a clear and concise manner, and
   3. be able to effectively apply the tool of biomimicry to arrive at sustainable design solutions.

Course objectives:

   1. Develop a clear understanding of biomimicry and how it may be used to find sustainable solutions to human problems,
   2. Strengthen observation skills through deep pattern recognition,
   3. Hone essential communication skills - verbal, written, visual and science translation - through individual and team excercises,
   4. Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, and
   5. Foster engagement in scientific discourse with audiences from non-scientific disciplines through real-world experiences.

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

University Curricula

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Reading Materials

Biomimicry Resource Tools

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