The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. (Photo by Sean Logan)ASU students can now enroll to learn about the discipline of biomimicry among the other 300-plus academic undergraduate programs and majors.
This center will be a joint collaboration between ASU and Biomimicry 3.8. Students who have been waiting for the biomimicry degree should apply by March 16.
This new degree will be co-directed by mentor and adviser Prasad Boradkar, a professor at The Design School in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and his colleague Adelheid Fischer.
Biomimicry thinking is a skill set for 21st-century careers, Boradkar said.
This new degree focuses on seeking sustainable solutions to human challenges by mimicking nature’s patterns and strategies. This program is ideal for students who are interested in creative, trans-disciplinary learning.
It would also be valuable for those who would love to work with people from around the globe to advance the field and develop sustainable, real-world applications.
Biomimicry thinking helps create products and processes that save energy and cut material price, among other accomplishments, but it mainly teaches how to live in this planet without destroying it further.
Biomimicry skills can come in handy no matter what career path students choose to follow, Boradkar said.
“It can be applied to all majors,” Boradkar said.
The world has created massive sustainability problems for future generations, which means biomimicry majors will be in demand, Boradkar said.
The center is scheduled to officially launch March 3 with an event featuring TED-style talks, hands-on activities, artistic performances and a discussion between Janine Benyus and ASU President Michael Crow at Carson Ballroom in Old Main on the Tempe campus from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Students can choose from a master’s degree or a variety of certificate programs. This degree can only be taken online, meaning that more students can be part of this new cutting-edge technology study, ASU spokeswoman Iti Agnihotri said.
“For now, the degree is online. There are plans to offer it on the Tempe campus over the next few semesters as well, but those haven't been finalized,” Agnihotri said.
Reach the reporter at atapiz@asu.edu.
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