Biomimicry Institute Partners with ScIC “Science is Cool” Virtual Events for Educators
Presenting two opportunities for STEM teachers to access nature-inspired Open Educational Resources to help students solve local design challenges.
The Biomimicry Institute will bring nature-inspired education to two free upcoming events hosted by PocketLab’s Science is Cool (ScIC), the world’s largest online science conference and webinar series that reaches over 80,000 educators representing more than 200 countries. STEM educators are invited to register for the full-day “unconference” ScIC9 on Friday, August 5 that is dedicated to Open Educational Resources (OER) and other free and low-cost tools to empower them to shape lesson plans according to unique teaching styles and classroom needs. Executive Director Beth Rattner will share how to get started in nature-inspired design using the Institute’s free resources. On September 1, the Institute returns to the ScIC platform with a one-hour webinar to dig deeper into the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge (YDC), a free program for middle and high school students, with Director of Youth Education, Rosanna Ayers.
ScIC is on a mission to inspire science teachers through community support with their passion for the power of education. The Biomimicry Institute sees science as a vehicle for addressing access and equity in education, building literacy and mathematical skills, and for student sense-making about their place in the world. Biomimicry education is creating the next generation of nature-inspired problem solvers, and the Institute provides educators with the tools, curriculum, and support they need to equip the next generation of nature-inspired problem solvers.
How to Access the Two Upcoming Events:
SCIC9 on Friday, August 5, 2022 from 10am — 5pm MDT
This full-day event is a thriving, inspiring forum for teachers around the world to access tools, offer solutions, and also have a place to find camaraderie and feel heard and understood.
The Next Species of Innovators Introduction Session from 3:40pm — 4pm MDT
Students want to solve multiple problems at once, and the best way to do that is by looking at how nature approaches similar challenges and take this learning to practice a sustainable way of inventing. Join Beth Rattner, Executive Director of the Biomimicry Institute, for an introduction to the Institute’s YDC and discuss how the era of design for design’s sake is over. The challenge sparks curiosity and ingenuity in students, turning learners into makers.
Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge Webinar on Thursday, September 1, 2022 from 3pm — 4pm MDT
ScIC will host a free one-hour event featuring Rosanna Ayers, Director of Youth Education at the Biomimicry Institute, who will introduce how 6–12-grade educators can get started on the YDC in their upcoming fall or spring semesters. The YDC empowers students to solve real-world sustainability problems using biomimetic solutions. This challenge provides a framework for educators of all types to introduce biomimicry as a lens for exploration and problem solving within and beyond the classroom. It also serves as a bridge from core concepts to advanced, project-focused STEM learning, providing an engaging framework to introduce nature-inspired design, and an interdisciplinary lens on science, engineering, and environmental literacy.
Register for the webinar here.
PocketLab, a science technology company founded by teachers, started the ScIC “Science is Cool” virtual unconference in March 2020 as a way to make the best of the situation shaped by a global pandemic and create new opportunities for both teachers and innovative education companies. The spirit of their work as an “unconference” is to provide everyone with useful tools and valuable resources as well as giving participants a voice for what’s next. They continue to keep these events free for teachers, because they want everyone to benefit from these conversations and resources.
For more information on education resources and support offered by the Biomimicry Institute, visit biomimicry.org/education.
