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Biomimicry (the topic): Very Exciting

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Biomimicry (the topic): Very Exciting Great (old??) idea!!! Those who are inspired by a model other than Nature, a mistress above all masters, are laboring in vain. – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Biomimicry (the topic): Very Exciting


1
Biomimicry (the topic) Very Exciting
  • Great (old??) idea!!!
  • Those who are inspired by a model other than
    Nature, a mistress above all masters, are
    laboring in vain. - Leonardo Da Vinci
  • New word level of understanding??
  • Google? Benyus (bad news??)
  • Spelling error on MS word (more bad news??)
  • Part of bigger picture ? Biotechnology??
  • Montana??
  • The core idea is that nature, imaginative by
    necessity, has already solved many of the
    problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants,
    and microbes are the consummate engineers.
    Biomimicry Institute
  • http//brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/
  • http//www.biomimicryinstitute.org/about-us/biomim
    icry--tool-for-innovation.html

2
A self-proclaimed nature nerd, Janine Benyus is
the author of Biomimicry Innovation Inspired by
Nature, a book that has galvanized scientists,
architects, designers and engineers into
exploring new ways in which nature's successes
can inspire humanity. Other books Beastly
Behaviours, The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats
of the Eastern U.S., The Field Guide to Wildlife
Habitats in the Western U.S.,Northwoods Wildlife
A Watchers Guide to Habitats.Degrees in Natural
Resource Management and English
Literature/Writing (Rutgers)
  • In the world envisioned by science author Janine
    Benyus, a locust's ability to avoid collision
    within a roiling cloud of its brethren informs
    the design of a crash-resistant car a
    self-cleaning leaf inspires a new kind of paint,
    one that dries in a pattern that enables simple
    rainwater to wash away dirt and organisms
    capable of living without water open the way for
    vaccines that maintain potency even without
    refrigeration -- a hurdle that can prevent
    life-saving drugs from reaching disease-torn
    communities.
  • Most important, these cool tools from nature pull
    off their tricks while still managing to preserve
    the environment that sustains them, a
    life-or-death lesson that humankind is in need of
    learning.
  • Much more than a reporter, Benyus is a champion
    of biomimicry she's become one of the most
    important voices in a new wave of designers and
    engineers inspired by nature.
  • "The sophisticated, almost pro-growth angle of
    Benyus shows the great potential profitability of
    copying some of nature's time-tested,
    nonpolluting, room-temperature manufacturing and
    computing technologies."New York Times

3
Biomimicry (the book)Innovation Inspired by
Nature
  • Agriculture
  • Energy!!! (and Water??)
  • Manufacturing
  • Health and Medicine
  • Computing??
  • Business??
  • Call to Action??

4
My Comments on Biomimicry
  • On Form
  • Excellent writing style and language. Her
    language degree serves her well. Nice choice of
    juicy words in places where the content could
    become dry very quickly. No clear rational for
    the sequencing of topics or the choice of the
    titles of the chapters.
  • On Content
  • Some technical issues get quickly complicated
    for the unsuspecting reader. No clear picture of
    where we stand in the big picture. Appears to
    have changed her philosophy while compiling the
    different chapters. Book may have taken over 10
    years to complete.
  • Interesting comment about the economics around
    the Exxon Valdez (281), and Quantum Theory
    Philosophy (227)
  • Recent Progress of Biomimicry
  • Some interesting success stories but mainly for
    marginal gains example in aero or
    hydrodynamics. Nothing dramatic in photosynthesis
    for harvesting hydrogen or carbon dioxide.
  • Can this approach save us from the threat of
    global warming consequences?
  • Not in the way it is presented in this book.
    The speeds of discovery and change seem to
    extremely slow and it is not clear how far we are
    from breakthrough components.
  • Is it moving us in the right direction?
  • Getting inspiration from the natural way to
    handle some of the burning problems of energy and
    water in order to solve them effectively with one
    system is great. Arguing that all the population
    on earth will or should convert to a nature
    loving cult is extreme. Some of us are happy to
    do this but we are nowhere near a majority. The
    prospect of a cataclysmic catastrophe (drowning
    billions of people) triggered by global warming
    appears to be a potential cleansing experience
    for nature and explicitly presented in this book
    as a hitting a wall situation for humanity.
    The urgency of doing something to avert the
    catastrophe does not appear to be an important
    topic for the book. I am concerned about the
    social dimensions of this message.
  • Natures way of introducing change and evolution
    is wise but the human ability to catalyze change
    through much quicker information exchanges and
    design/production of new systems is ignored as
    reality (except in a negative sense). The
    spiritual, artistic and social complexities of
    humanity are downplayed as a strong component of
    evolution. Although humans have been very
    arrogant in the monopolizing of the rational and
    decisions on resource use, we still need some
    credit for having reached the point to be able to
    do it!
  • I have the same concern I had with all the
    previous books. They do not seem to be able to
    put their philosophy and teachings in the context
    of the big picture and/or be inclusive in their
    plans for most of the population.

5
Sustainability What is the Question?
  • Conservation??
  • Only the natural way??
  • Allowable Footprints??
  • Stop Human Contributions to Global Warming??
  • Alleviate Global Warming Impacts??
  • Moving in the Right Direction??

6
Practical Issues
  • How do we decide on the line of action??
  • How are technologies/solutions diffused??
  • Is there a transition time limit??
  • The dimensions of the sustainability
  • Biological??
  • Chemical??
  • Social??
  • Philosophical/Ethical??
  • Political/System??

7
Range of Responses to the Sustainability Challenge
  • Mine (!) this planet and move to the next one
    when done
  • This is an important topic for all of you to get
    together and discuss/act in a remote area (NIMBY)
  • I will do what my boss/government/spouse says
  • Nature has its special way of removing the
    unfit in the evolution process
  • I exit my cave only when nature needs me to
    perform my duties in the cycle of life
  • This is the challenge/opportunity for humans to
    show one new level of capability/responsibility
    in several areas.

8
The NAE View
  • The Engineer 2020
  • The Grand Challenges (???!!)
  • The Curriculum Workshop Intro to End
  • Industry and IABs
  • ABET
  • Impact????

9
Epilogue
  • Is this the Real BABEL???!!!
  • Or the start of a New ENLIGHTENMENT period??!!
  • Or both with undecided outcome!
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