Lesson «Looking at Nature: How Animals and Plants Teach Us Engineering»
Can animals and plants teach us to create new technologies? It turns out, yes!
On August 22, as part of the Science Kids project from INSCIENCE, a lesson «Looking at Nature: How Animals and Plants Teach Us Engineering» for schoolchildren aged 7–13 was held. It was conducted by Olena Nazarova, director of the Children’s and Youth Scientific University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic».
During the lesson, participants were introduced to the concept of bionics – a science that helps engineers find technical solutions, inspired by nature. The children learned about the history of its origin, the first bionic developments using the example of Leonardo da Vinci’s flapping wing and the ornithopters of his followers. Special attention was paid to modern bionic projects by Festo, which reproduce the principles of movement of birds, animals, insects and other living organisms using robotics.
The most interesting was the interactive game, during which the students tried to guess and come up with what engineering inventions engineers borrowed from animals and plants. Participants actively offered their own ideas and were convinced that many of the technologies we know have a natural origin.
The activity helped young researchers see that nature is an inexhaustible source of engineering solutions, and careful observation of the world around us can be the beginning of great discoveries and inventions of the future.
Thank you to the Science Kids team from INSCIENCE for the opportunity to popularize STEM education and inspire children to explore the world of science!
