Naturally Organized
Students work in teams to design a tabletop supply organizer inspired by the natural home of an insect species. Their prototype stores the group’s classroom supplies (scissors, crayon boxes, pencils, and glue sticks). In addition to following measurement constraints that apply to their prototype, students must design their supply organizer with the idea that supplies must be easily retrievable and the organizer must be sturdy enough to withstand everyday classroom wear and tear. Students test their prototype in the classroom for a period of 5 days and evaluate its effectiveness.
Students brainstorm, design, and create tabletop organizers inspired by an insect’s home.Copyright 2018 Meagan Vaughn, University of Florida MRET
Ants and bees are two of nature’s most organized insects. Many species of ants and bees live in colonies. Within these colonies there is structure – everything has a purpose and a place. Engineers sometimes observe these structures natural structures and apply them to their design. When people use nature to design solutions to problems it is called biomimicry. Engineers in a variety of fields rely on nature to help them solve problems. One example of engineering inspired by nature comes from an engineering firm called Arup. The engineers at Arup built a large shopping center in Harare, Zimbabwe, in Southern Africa called Eastgate Centre, which was inspired by the mound-like homes of termites. Their engineers observed how termites structured their homes to stay cool, then applied what they observed to their building design.
After this activity students should be able to:
- Understand that biomimicry is when people design solutions to problems based on things they observe in nature.
- Develop an understanding of the engineering design process.
- Design and create a functional tabletop supply organizer.
- Communicate research in a collaborative conversation.