Event

The Petri Dish

APRIL 5
Beyond Velcro: Taking cues from nature to design solutions to big challenges and drive innovation

Design inspired by biology is nothing new. Think Leonardo da Vincis flying machines. Or consider Velcro, an oft-cited example of biomimicry, which copies the clinging prowess of burrs. From sonar (bats) to nanowires (bacteria) to polyurethane swimsuits (shark skin), the list inventions premised on emulating patterns and processes that already exist in nature is long and getting longer. Whats new is the scale and complexity of the problems. Explore the bio-based approach informing innovative applications in far-flung fields from medicine to robotics and beyond.

Panelists include evolutionary biologist Emilie Snell-Rood, Marc Swackhamer, head of the Us School of Architecture, and Abdennour Abbas, who leads the Biosensors and Bionanotechnology Lab. Moderator: Limnologist Jim Cotner.