Biomimetic Principles and Design
A freshman seminar from MIT that treats nature as an engineer, examining how systematic study of live animals and organisms can reveal design principles applicable to human technology. Students look at cases of biomimesis, the practice of borrowing biological structures and processes such as adhesion, locomotion, and material strength, and discuss how these translate into engineering solutions. The course is discussion based, drawing on readings and guest examples rather than lab work, and is meant to introduce incoming MIT students to a cross disciplinary research area spanning mechanical engineering and biology. Materials on MIT OpenCourseWare include the syllabus and topic list; there is no certificate, and the course is free to access and study independently.