Texas A&M Biomimicry Course Uses LEGO, VR, and Nature Walks
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- Dr. Charles Patrick, professor of practice at Texas A&M, published findings in Biomedical Engineering Education (DOI: 10.1007/s43683-025-00213-6) on a scaffolded inquiry-based learning model for biomimicry
- Patrick's course — "Biomimicry, Biomimetics, and Bioinspired Approaches to Medical Device and Technology Design" — tasks students with using nature as a model for engineering problems rather than starting from a blank page
- Validated surveys measuring imagination competency at semester start and end showed gains, and Patrick reported high student engagement, with small-group work developing teamwork and communication skills
- Three scaffolded assignments built design competency: a LEGO Serious Play exercise where students figured out how a chosen "critter" like a hawk might grasp a yellow sphere, a VR redesign of surgical instruments, and a field trip to The Gardens at Texas A&M for final-project inspiration
- The biomimicry course is one of three design frameworks in the biomedical engineering department, alongside a NASA space engineering framework and the department's core biodesign framework
- Patrick cited real-world biomimicry examples including bur seeds inspiring Velcro, whale fins inspiring wind turbines, and Texas A&M colleagues Taylor Ware (fire-ant-inspired self-assembling polymers) and Abhisek Jain (microvasculature-mimicking vessel-chips)
Why it matters: For Texas A&M biomedical engineering students, Patrick's published results offer evidence that imagination — a competency often left undeveloped once students reach college — can be deliberately cultivated through scaffolded, low-risk exercises before high-stakes capstone work, giving the department a third distinct design framework alongside its NASA and core biodesign tracks.
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