History
from Jeannette Yen, CBID Director
As the world becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, it has become clear that we do not fully understand how to foster, sustain, and propagate these interdisciplinary connections in the university and its undergraduate curricula. Such interdisciplinary education is necessary to solve the increasingly complex problems faced by the next generation of scientists and engineers, who in particular, will be faced with the challenge of integrating biology and engineering. The Center for Biologically Inspired Design of the Georgia Institute of Technology (CBID) is guided by these overarching questions about the connections between engineering and science education:
- How can we best foster communication and collaboration
between biologists and engineers towards innovative
design?
- How can we help engineering students to appreciate
the value of evolutionary adaptation as a source
for design inspiration, where they ‘biologize’ a
design problem?
- How can we help biology students better understand how their knowledge of biology can be useful in engineering design?
We propose a truly interdisciplinary education and
training plan that will break down existing boundaries
between biology and engineering. Current interdisciplinary
fusions of biology and engineering expertise stress
the use of sophisticated engineering approaches to
intervene in, or interface with, biological systems.
This demands considerable biological and engineering
skills and has been quite productive in the development
of biologically compatible materials, neural interfaces
and diagnostic technology. However, it tends to treat
the biological environment largely as a series of
constraints within which a particular engineered system
must operate. Our approach is to promote the use of
biological principles as potential solutions for the
design of human built systems and processes. Our emphasis
differs from current interdisciplinary programs by
training students to be able to mine biological systems
as sources of innovation.
The participants of Georgia Tech’s Center for
Biologically-Inspired Design believe that science
and technology are increasingly hitting the limits
of approaches based on traditional disciplines, and
that Biology is an important guide to developing new
ways of thinking. In addition, it is becoming clear
that human civilization’s activities are increasingly
overreaching the carrying capacity of the earth’s
natural systems, and that new materials and technologies
are necessary. Biological systems at all levels use
lifefriendly materials manufactured at room temperatures,
often operate under energetic limitations, and have
movement and sensing capabilities that generally exceed
that of human built systems. In addition to the large-scale
sustainability model presented by natural ecosystems,
the process of evolutionary adaptation represents
millions of years of design concept testing. These
adaptations may be more efficient than modern engineering
solutions while utilizing environmentally-friendly
materials. They are thus often excellent guides for
novel technologies and ways to reduce energy consumption
and reliance on scarce or toxic materials. We seek
to create a generation of engineers able be at the
frontline of designs that are innovative, efficient,
and life-friendly.
