BioDreamMachine Exploring Nature's Solutions

Dixie School District GATE program, San Rafael, CA 4^th, 5^th graders, max. 14 students per class 6-8 hours, 3-4 sessions Instructor: Tom McKeag Fall 2008 Geometry is all around us in nature, sometimes seen in surprising forms, and in some surprisingly recurring patterns. What are the basic shapes that we see again and again in nature? Why are these patterns there? What number systems can we use to make sense of the huge diversity of forms in the natural world? How can we create our own beautiful forms using nature as an inspiration? This class explores these questions using an experiential, project-based approach to inquiry. We look at spirals in sheep horns and explosions in dandelion seedheads and the branching in our lungs to find these basic patterns. We also look at the basic platonic solids, the Fibonacci series, Leonardo's theory of transformation and the modern study of fractals to compare mankind's methods with the forms in nature. Students examine artifacts, measure and record data, create mathematically based art, and are encouraged to invent.

Dixie School District GATE program, San Rafael, CA 4^th, 5^th graders, maximum 14 students per class 6-8 hours, 3-4 sessions Instructor: Tom McKeag, Jeremy Eddy Spring 2008, Spring and Fall 2007, Spring 2006 This is a course about innovation. Bio-inspired design means looking to nature for inspiration in improving the ways we design products, services, and systems. The most familiar example of this is Velcro, a fastener system inspired by a seed burr. This course uses the context of biomimicry to introduce students to a variety of biological principles and some of the physics and chemistry underlying those principles. These principles are explored in the context of hands-on activities, discussions, and design. Three basic themes are introduced:

1. What are some of the jobs of the patterns we see in nature?
2. How do pressures in nature shape the features of organisms?
3. How can biomimicry and our day-to-day choices help us to live sustainably on the earth?

Students conclude the course with the design and public presentation of a “Bio-Dream Machine”, an invention that exhibits successful qualities from nature to solve a particular problem chosen by the class.

Critical Studies Department, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA Undergraduate/Graduate, maximum 30 students per class 3 hours, 17 sessions Instructor: Tom McKeag, Jeremy Eddy, David Hammond Spring 2008, Spring and Fall 2007, Fall 2006 The goal of this course is to introduce students to the basic concepts of Biology and relate these concepts directly to design and artistic work using the field of Biomimicry as a bridge between Science and Art. Biomimicry is the study of Nature as an inspiration for innovation and creativity. The course is therefore divided into three modules: General Biology, Biomimicry, and Design.

Integrative Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley Graduate/undergraduate, maximum 25 students per class 3 hours, 15 sessions Instructor: Tom McKeag Faculty Sponsors: Lew Feldman (Plant and Microbial Biology), Bob Full (Integrative Biology), Drew Isaacs (Business) Fall 2008 This is a graduate level seminar on biologically inspired design using case studies from research labs, bio-design consultants, and companies currently using or marketing biomimetic products. The course is interdisciplinary and draws from experts in Biology, Bioengineering, Design and Business. It is offered to students from any department, graduate or undergraduate (with permission of instructor). It has no prerequisite. It also links ideas in a vertical fashion, especially when highlighting research, product development and business applications in one venue. The goals of the course are to teach innovation using the study of nature as a lens, introduce a methodology for interdisciplinary collaboration, and sharpen awareness of the promise and pitfalls of working with biologically inspired products and solutions. The course meets twice a week and combines lecture, short problem-solving in interdisciplinary teams and visits to field sites and laboratories. It relies on guest speakers from on and off-campus, a website, course reader and multimedia presentations to present the material. Throughout the course the focus is on problem-solving through innovation, team collaboration and integrating information from disparate sources. We hope to foster critical thinking by putting some of these different approaches into practice, as well as presenting a range of case studies.

Interdisciplinary Design Department, California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA Undergraduate, maximum 30 students per class 6 hours, 17 sessions Instructor: Tom McKeag, Jeremy Faludi Fall 2009 This is an experiential, project-based course that explores some of the current topics in bio-inspired design through team problem-solving. Students are guided through several biological themes beginning with a science briefing and a case study review or guest speaker and will be tasked to create or improve a product or service. Projects are centered in the disciplines of architecture, industrial design and three-dimensional design. Students are expected to produce a wide variety of tangible solutions, including written summaries, prototypes, powerpoint presentations, models, drawings and dynamic demonstrations. Prerequisites: First year Studios, Eng 1 and 2, 2 Art history classes. Junior and Seniors only. The goal of this course is to teach innovation using the treasury of biological information as a lens with which to analyze problems (practical or artistic). The course objectives are to familiarize students with the field of bio-inspired design, enable them to participate in interdisciplinary team problem-solving, and inspire them to innovate in their individual disciplines. The course has been designed for those students who must shape three-dimensional space or objects, primarily architects and industrial designers, but also sculptors, ceramicists, glassworkers and others. Learning outcomes include a basic conversance in the current state of the science in bio-inspired design in at least three main areas of research, an ability to organize a design brief using a biological inquiry method, an understanding of the width and depth of biological life and how to reference it for design use using a taxonomic scheme and nested scales of hierarchy, an ability to discern the difference between bio-inspired design that employs basic principles of nature and biomorphic or bio-utilizing design, and a greater familiarity with culturing innovation using cross-industry collaboration. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, students should come away from this course with a much more informed and focused appreciation of our natural world and its lessons for the designer.