7th Grade Project Combines Art and Science
Last month, 7th graders learned about biomimicry by combining art and science to find solutions to problems.
Inspired by a presentation given by Janine Benyus, founder of the Biomimicry Institute at the University of Akron, science teacher Anna Delia and art teacher Erin Thomas integrated biomimicry into their curricula. For three weeks the teachers aligned their science and art content to illustrate the integrated nature of many science, engineering, and design careers, and to enrich the students ability to creatively problem-solve.
Biomimicry is “the science of emulating nature’s best ideas to solve human problems,” as defined by the Biomimicry Institute. By observing natural systems and collecting data on organisms with unique traits, scientists, engineers, artists, and designers have been able to create sustainable solutions to human needs while preserving the environment. A few recent examples include the studies of locust flight in collision avoidance, tree fibers to withstand windstorms, and insect colony organization as a model of city and transportation planning.
In Science, students identified an everyday item that could be improved. In the search of a solution, they completed observations of local environments, researched unique organism traits, and read excerpts from Zygote Quarterly, an academic journal review of innovations in biomimicry. Students then drafted a sample experiment to test their proposed nature-inspired “solution.”
In art, students looked at the ways society has used biomimicry for aesthetic purposes in fine art, in architecture, and in product design. Students then made a digital vision board detailing the elements of art involved in the planning of their product solution and constructed a fine art piece to communicate their idea and solution in a visually aesthetic way.
The projects concluded with a gallery walk where parents and other guests heard each group’s “pitch” of their solution, and saw the culminating science and art pieces.
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Early Childhood, Lower, and Middle Schools, 5000 Clubside Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Birchwood School of Hawken, 4400 West 140th Street, Cleveland, OH 44135
Upper School, PO Box 8002 (12465 County Line Rd), Gates Mills, OH 44040
Mastery School of Hawken, 11025 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106
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