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Biomimicry Workshop | How Nature Innovates
Thank you to Great Lakes Biomimicry, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and The University of Akron Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center for leading an engaging workshop on “How Nature Innovates.” Special thanks to presenters Christine Hockman, Trisha Brown, Gavin Svenson, Peter Niewarowski and Sarah McInerney who have helped make Northeast Ohio a globally recognized center of the biomimicry movement.
Companies like GOJO, Tremco and Moen have embraced biomimicry as a model and mindset – looking at everything from product development to supply chain and distribution to enhancing the way teams collaborate. This workshop included biomimicry/biologist subject matter experts, nature videos, and an interactive group design challenge on packaging issues and certain biological models with unique adaptations that provided inspiration for improving how we design packaging. Learning from dragonflies, pitcher plants, wasps and spiders showcases proven models for how nature deals with myriad design issues and solves them with multifunctional materials design. Nature provides inspiration from 3.8 billion years of R&D!
The goal of this workshop was to experience and see the value of working with biomimicry and the collections/experts at the museum to inform how a more in-depth, company-specific exploration could be structured. With our limited time, the workshop focused on the process and the inspiration of nature, not the outcome of packaging challenges. As participants internalize the content from this session, we expect them to continually draw inspiration from nature.
What participants are saying:
“The InnoQuest | Biomimicry Workshop was eye opening for me. Such amazing things in this world looking through different lenses. Thanks for this opportunity to participate.”
“I deeply enjoyed the InnoQuest Biomimicry Workshop looking at “How Nature Innovates,” being reminded that this method not only is powerful in product design but with resilient systems (recovering to another totally different stable state). Think about it – how does nature recover with a new skill or manifestation after an extreme disruption? Very timely information and resources”
About the InnoQuest Innovation Management Program:
A collaborative forum offered bi-monthly to leaders and innovation practitioners of mid- to large-sized companies in Northeast Ohio. Participants gain best practices in managing and guiding the innovation process, new working relations with peer companies & leading practitioners and actionable steps to improve a company’s innovation practices. Program content has included: Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), Lean Start-Up Principles, Design Thinking and Creativity in Leadership. Each session is held at a location of interest throughout the region; past locations have included; Sherwin Williams, The Technology House, NASA Glenn Research Center, Baldwin Wallace Center for Innovation and Growth, Parker Hannifin’s New Innovation Center and the Cleveland Institute of Art.
To participate in the InnoQuest Innovation Management program contact:
Chris Keller (Chris@edgef.org; 216-346-6300) or Grant Marquit (Grant@edgef.org; 216-215-5058)