A researcher in the biomedical engineering department at Texas A&M University is using a scaffolded, inquiry-based biomimicry course to inspire students to design solutions by learning from nature.
Charles Patrick, professor of practice, has demonstrated that learning outcomes improved through an approach that allowed students to practice design throughout the semester before a summative final design project.
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‘Students were highly engaged and it’s been well published that the more engaged a student is, the more they learn,’ Patrick said. ‘They worked in small groups, which helped develop their teamwork and communication skills. We also measured their imagination competency at the beginning of the semester using validated surveys. This increased when measured at the end of the semester.’
Patrick tested the approach in a course entitled Biomimicry, Biomimetics, and Bioinspired Approaches to Medical Device and Technology Design. The aim is for students to use nature as a model to solve engineering problems.
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‘This class is focused on teaching students how to not necessarily start with a blank sheet of paper, but to look at nature and see how it has optimised or influenced some aspect of medical design,’ he said. ‘We can make an exact copy of nature, or emulate it, or just be inspired by it.’
Biomimicry is responsible for some of the world’s most recognisable inventions. For example, bur seeds inspired Velcro and whale fins inspired wind turbines.
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Biomedical engineering researchers Taylor Ware and Abhisek Jain each found inspiration in nature. Ware developed self-assembling polymers inspired by fire ants, while Jain created vessel-chips by mimicking the human microvasculature.
‘Nature has already optimised the energy and mechanics of processes while we’re still struggling to make medical devices efficient,’ Patrick said. ‘We are looking to nature to teach us how to optimise engineering.’
The course is one of three design frameworks the department offers students to build competency and gain experience before their final capstone class, where they work with companies to refine or design a real biomedical device.
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‘This course is a nature-inspired framework,’ Patrick said. ‘Another is with NASA – a space engineering design framework – and the third is the department’s core biodesign framework. Students can choose to learn all three different types of design frameworks.’
To build familiarity with design principles in biomimicry, Patrick used three lessons to increase competency before a final project. The first assignment used LEGO sets as a low-risk way for students to familiarise themselves with the process through a method they already understood. He took inspiration from other universities as well as his own children at home using LEGO Serious Play as a means of learning.
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For the assignment, the students are tasked with grasping a yellow sphere. Patrick gives them a curated list of ‘critters’ to choose from – such as a hawk – to ideate how they might grasp the object. The students then decide how they’ll emulate or copy that function.
‘I wanted something they’re familiar with that still stoked creativity,’ Patrick said. ‘There are enough different parts that they could mimic what they see in nature. It lowers activation energy due to their familiarity. They get to be creative, but still learn new concepts at the same time.’
After the LEGO project, students used virtual reality tools to redesign surgical instruments. Finally, they took a trip to the gardens at Texas A&M University to draw inspiration for their final project.
‘Whether it’s a bee, a certain flower or plant, or an animal they see, that’s their inspiration for their final design project,’ Patrick said. ‘Every time I’ve done it, the students say this is the first time they’ve ever actually gotten outside of the classroom to do an assignment. They enjoy being able to think differently and look at things from another perspective.’
Patrick hopes the course leaves students with a newfound confidence in using their imagination in engineering.
‘Something our education system does well in K-12 is making sure that students use their imagination and creativity,’ Patrick said. ‘When students get to college, for some reason, we often stop that. The greatest thing is a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, unlimited imagination and brainstorming. This class helps them do that.’
The research has been published in Biomedical Engineering Education.