Title: Introduction to Nature Inspired Engineering

Topic: Sustainability, Resilience, Intelligent Design

Length: Half-Day (3 hours)

 

 

This short course introduces students to the inspiration from biological and natural systems to solve engineering challenges. Topics to be covered in this course include the fundamentals of adaptability and sustainability, grand engineering challenges, principles of natural and biological systems (in adapting, sensing, optimizing, regulating), and processes of nature inspired engineering designs.

 

• To provide the student with an overall understanding of the principles and methods of nature inspired design;

• To showcase and discuss examples of nature solutions to address adaptation challenges;

• To guide students to complete conceptual nature inspired designs to address engineering challenges;

• To promote innovative solutions, critical thinking, and engineering judgment.

By the end of this short course, students are expected be able to:

• Understand fundamental concepts related to nature inspired engineering;

• Interpret the underlying mechanisms of nature systems;

• Design (functional analysis) and optimization (dimensionless analysis);

• Conduct independent/collaborative and original research, including formulating the research question and proposing technical pathways;

• Identify significance and elaborate implications;

• Collaborate and present coherent thoughts in written and oral formats.

 

Sheng Dai, Ph.D., P.E. 

Georgia Mining Association Early Career Professorship & Group Coordinator in Geosystems Engineering

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ocean Science and Engineering

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (Courtesy)

Georgia Institute of Technology

sheng.dai@ce.gatech.edu