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. - 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

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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

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Biomimicry (the book)Innovation Inspired by
Nature

• Agriculture
• Energy!!! (and Water??)
• Manufacturing
• Health and Medicine
• Computing??
• Business??
• Call to Action??

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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.

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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??

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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??

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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.

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The NAE View

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

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Epilogue

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