Name: ______________________________________________ 12/15– 12/19, 2014 Conceptual Biology (Pz-231) (Week 16) 1
Day(s):
Monday – 12/15/14 - A
Topic: Inspired By Nature
Learning Objectives: SWBAT observe and respond to questions on Biomimicry.
Standards: MST: 1, 3, 6, ELA: 1, 3 CCSS: RST 9-10.3, 9-10.4, WHST 9-10.1d, 9-10.1e, 9-10.4
NGSS: LS1-3, LS2-8
Academic Vocabulary: sustainable, micro-mountainous, protrusions, efficiency, R&D
Essential Question: How can we learn from nature?
Activators:
Monday: If you could have one characteristic of an animal infused into your DNA, what would it be? Why?
Agenda:
1) Opening: PPT
2) Work Period: Respond to questions posed throughout the PPT.
3) Closing: Share activators.
Homework: Complete any unanswered questions.
Day(s):
Tuesday – 12/16/14 - B
Wednesday – 12/17/14 - A
Thursday – 12/18/14 - B
Topic: Inspired by Nature
Learning Objectives: SWBAT read and respond to accessory text on “Inspired by Nature”
Standards: MST: 1, 3, 6, ELA: 1, 3 CCSS: RST 9-10.3, 9-10.4, WHST 9-10.1d, 9-10.1e, 9-10.4
NGSS: LS1-3, LS2-8
Academic Vocabulary: sustainable, micro-mountainous, protrusions, efficiency, R&D
Essential Question: What technology innovations have been inspired by nature?
Activators:
Thursday: How would you react if you found out that there was a deadly virus detected in New York City?
Friday: How do the scenarios of the real Ebola outbreak and the movie outbreak compare/contrast?
Agenda:
1) Opening: The class will read the article together. Record interesting quotations in the DEJ on page 6.
2) Work Period: Complete accessory skills sheets pages 7-12.
3) Closing: Lab activity on page 12.
Homework: Complete any skills sheet questions.
Day: Friday – 12/19/14 - A
Activator: Benchmark
Topic: Ecology - Literacy
Learning Objectives: SWBAT complete the benchmark and read/comment on 2 articles.
Standards: MST; 4, 6 ELA; 1,3 CCSS; RST 9-10.4, WHST 9-10.1d, 9-10.1e, 9-10.2e, 9-10.9
Academic Vocabulary: sustainable, micro-mountainous, protrusions, efficiency, R&D
Agenda:
1) Opening: Complete benchmark: Write a sentences for the vocabulary terms that demonstrates your knowledge of the term.
2) Work Period: Read 2 articles from a ScienceWorld and record the appropriate information on your Double Entry Journal pages.
3) Closing: Hand in your weekly packet.
Bell Schedule:
Period 1 - 8:15 – 9:02
Period 2 – 9:06 – 10:04
Period 3 – 10:08 – 10:55
Period 4 – 10:59 – 11:46
Period 5 – 11:50 – 12:37
Period 6 – 12:41 – 1:28
Period 7 – 1:32 – 2:19
Period 8 – 2:23 – 3:10
Weekly Assignments:
Title
Natures Design
Desert Survival
Wet or Dry?
Water Proof
Double Entry Journals: Class/HW
Activators:
Benchmark
Page
9
10
11
12
3/16
1
# of Questions
12
5
5
5
2
4
5
Points per
2
2
2
2
10
10
6
Total Possible Total Achieved
24
____________
10___________________
10___________________
10___________________
20
_____
40
__
_____
30
_____
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NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS
MST (Math, Science, and Technology):
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design (Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as
appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions)
Standard 2: Information Systems (Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies)
Standard 4: Science (Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical
setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science)
Standard 6: Interconnectedness (Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics,
science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning)
Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving (Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and
technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions)
ELA (English Language Arts)
Standard 1: Information and Understanding, Standard 3: Critical Analysis and Evaluation, Standard 4: Social Interaction
COMMON CORE STANDARDS
Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects [RST]
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as
they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a
table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.9 Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own
experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.
Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects [WHST]
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1d Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2a Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections
and distinctions; include formatting, graphics, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2c Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create
cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic
and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and
conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
Structure and Function LS1-1:DNA to proteins, LS1-2: Organization of interacting systems, LS1-3: Investigation of feedback
mechanisms and homeostasis.
Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems LS1-5: Photosynthesis, LS1-6: Formation of Molecules, LS1-7: Respiration,
LS2-3: Cycling of Materials, LS2-4: Mathematical representation of energy flow, LS2-5: Respiration and Photosynthesis cycling
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems LS2-1: Mathematical carrying capacities, LS2-2: Biodiversity scales, LS2-6: Stable
and Unstable ecosystems, LS2-7: Reduction of Human Impact, LS2-8: Species behavior and survival, L4-6: Simulate and evaluate
interventions for human impact.
Inheritance and Variation of Traits LS1-4: Cell reproduction, LS3-1: DNA and chromosomes, LS3-2: Inheritable genetic variations,
LS3-3: Variation and distribution of expressed traits.
Natural Selection and Evolution LS4-1: Common Ancestry, LS4-2: Evidence for Evolution, LS4-3: Advantageous adaptations
increase, LS4-4: Natural Selection, LS4-5: Environmental influence on evolution of species.
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PPT: Biomimicry
Slide 2: Sustainable Living
 Make sure there’s enough food and fuel for future generations
 Don’t use up precious resources faster than the earth can produce them
 Don’t damage the environment
Slide 3: How can nature help us solve problems?
In today’s lesson we are going to find out more about how nature can help us to find solutions to the
challenges we face as humans – from the small things in our everyday lives to the big issues affecting the
future of our whole planet.
Slide 4:
Slide 5: What can SHARKS teach us?
OK – so what is this and what can we learn from it?
Slide 6: What can SHARKS teach us?
-This picture is a sharks skin really close up.
-Does anyone know what drag is? Drag is air or fluid resistance to motion, like friction. Think about a shark
when it swims – is it fast? Hands up who thinks it has low drag?
-Maybe we can learn something from the shark – about how to move quickly and efficiently. What everyday
things could we relate this to?
-About 50% of the drag for an aeroplane is due to what we call ‘skin friction’ on the body and wings of the
plane.
-By using these ‘riblets’, like a shark, we can reduce drag by up to 6%. This means that for a given speed,
you need less thrust. Less thrust means you need less fuel and that could save up to £60,000 a year in fuel.
-How do the riblets work? It’s very complicated – but a simple explanation is that for smooth surfaces the
‘turbulence’ or drag happens all over the surface, whereas for surfaces with grooves, turbulence only
happens at the tops of each triangle and not in the v-shaped troughs.
Slide 7: Grand Designs
Have you ever seen the Channel 4 show Grand Designs? We are going to watch a short video clip from it
now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l1vHc6ZEOc
Slide 8:
-Does anyone know what this flower is called?
-It’s a lotus flower. The lotus flower typically grows in swampy, muddy areas. Yet it’s famous for its clean,
pristine appearance.
-After rain, the lotus flower is dry and clean even when other plants are splashed with mud and dirt.
Slide 9: What can LOTUS FLOWERS teach us?
-How does it do it? If we look at the surface of the petals on a nano scale – that means we use equipment
that magnifies the image so that we can see structures on the surface that are so small they are measured
in nanometres. To give you an idea of scale, one nanometre is like taking a human hair and splitting it up
into 40,000 strands.
-When we do that, we realise that the surface of the plant is not smooth, it’s actually rough, spiky – almost
mountainous.
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-This means that pieces of dirt sit on the peaks of the little mountains and then when it rains, water
droplets run down the leaf and collect the dirt.
-It’s a bit like when you roll a snowball it collects leaves and grass from the ground. This effect means that
the lotus flower is self-cleaning.
-Self-cleaning paints like the one we saw on Grand Designs, mimic this micro-mountainous surface.
-This effect has also been used in sports by using a self-cleaning plastic film on a ball so it always looks
clean and easy to see.
-Can you think of any other uses for this technology?
Slide 10:
-Here is another image taken using the powerful microscope to see the tiny details of a surface.
-Does anyone know what this might be?
-It’s a picture of the surface of hook and look fastener.
Slide 11: What can SEEDS teach us?
-The hook-and-loop fastener was invented in 1941 by Swiss engineer, George de Mestral. The idea came to
him after a trip with his dog, he took a close look at the burrs (seeds) of burdock that kept sticking to his
clothes and his dog's fur. He examined them under a microscope, and noted their hundreds of "hooks" that
caught on anything with a loop, such as clothing, animal fur, or hair.
-Nappy fasteners – used to use adhesive tape (sticky-tape) but this lost its stickiness if coated with talc or
cream. This led to nappies being thrown away or replaced more frequently.
3M Scotchmate uses hook & loop material which is less affected by talc/cream, and also doesn’t stick to
skin. Unlike velcro is not rough to the touch as it doesn’t use standard ‘hooks’.
-This ‘micro-structure’ of multiple protrusions has also been developed for gripping materials which work in
the wet or dry – it can be used in golf gloves, for example.
Slide 12: Now it’s your turn…
‘Lotus Effect’ and water experiment
Slide 13: Water droplet photos
Slide 14: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
-Human designs often waste energy. For example in the older style light bulbs, a typical energy diagram
would show that from 100 Joules of electrical energy that goes in,
only 10J of light comes out – the rest is lost as heat energy. New style light bulbs can output up to 75% of
the energy as light so they are much more energy efficient.
-Nature minimises energy usage because it is such a precious resource. Natural selection – or survival of
the fittest – means that species that do not maximize their efficiency
are less likely to survive. There is 3.8billion years of natural R&D (research and development) that we can
tap into for ideas.
-Thinsulate™ is a material that’s been developed by 3M for heat, noise and vibration insulation. The unique
micro-fibres are about 10 times smaller than the fibres of traditional
synthetic insulation materials. The technology mimics the tiny fibres found in animal wool – which is an
excellent insulator but can be bulky.
-The tiny Thinsulate™ fibres are very efficient at trapping air which, in turn, traps heat – making it a great
insulator. So, you can get the same insulation using less material, which saves space and costs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa/energy/heatrev6.shtml
Slide 15: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
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-Does anyone know what this is?
-It’s a termite mound. These clever insect homes self-cool. Because they are not an aerodynamic shape
they catch the wind and channel the cool breeze through their structure.
-Heating and cooling are make up much of the energy usage in buildings.
For the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, engineers copied the termite mound technology
and were able to reduce the energy needed to heat and cool this building by 90%.
Slide 16: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
-This is a box fish – it has a large body but swims very fast because it has very low drag.
-Does anyone remember what drag is? We learned about it earlier with the shark.
Drag is air or fluid resistance to motion, and incredibly this car has the lowest drag ever tested!
-Can you guess what the designers used as inspiration?
Slide 17: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
-Here is the Bullet train – it travels at more than 200mph.
-When it was first designed, the problem was that when it left tunnels it made an extremely loud bang (due
to rapid changes in air pressure).
-So, designers looked to the kingfisher bird for inspiration. It dives into the water to catch fish and makes
almost no splash and they copied it’s shape.
This train is now quieter and it can go faster using less energy.
Slide 18: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
-Road studs (commonly known as Cats Eyes™) are not visible in the day but reflect car headlights in the
night and in fog.
-This is of big benefit to road safety so drivers can see where the road goes but and do not need electricity
to run.
-The idea originally occurred to Percy Shaw when he used the polished steel of disused tramlines as
markers in the road as markers. The form of the design was inspired by the eye shine reflection of cats.
Slide 19: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
-Here is our last example, the colours and patterns on the forest floor are random and removing one leaf or
twig does not effect the overall image.
-In the same way, these modular floor tiles can be individually replaced with no impact on the pattern
across the room (this is good for classrooms if you spill something).
-This flooring, inspired by nature, is called interface carpet.
Slide 20: Nature inspired solutions are everywhere…
-Here we have the Morpho butterfly. Do you think there is any blue pigment in the butterfly’s wings?
-Light is made up of many colours and the butterfly’s wings are actually made of super fine, overlapping
scales, which reflect and intensify the blue light.
-Films for windows have been developed on the same principle – by reflecting the wavelengths of radiation
which heats up buildings so that less energy is used on air conditioning in hot weather.
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Double-Entry Journal:
As you read the text, select phrases that you find meaningful or interesting. Write each phrase in the column below,
then write your reaction for each quote in the right column (for example: a comment, a question, a connection, or
analysis).
Title of Article: Inspired By Nature
Author: STEPHANIE WARREN DRIMMER
Page
From the text
VOL: 71 NO: 6
My Thoughts
Academic Vocabulary: (list and define vocabulary from the text)
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DECEMBER 8, 2014
Inspired by Nature
Check out four inventions modeled after animals
BY STEPHANIE WARREN DRIMMER | FOR
How do you find water in the driest deserts? Or explore the ocean’s depths? Questions like these have
stumped the world’s smartest engineers. But they’re no match for Mother Nature.
Millions of years of evolution—small changes in a species between generations that can lead to big changes
over time—have created organisms with amazing abilities. Read on to learn about four inventions that
borrowed from nature’s most brilliant adaptations.
ROBOT CRAB
In photos, the deep sea often looks calm and peaceful. But tidal currents sweep over parts of the ocean floor
like rushing rivers. These fast-moving waters are dangerous for divers and can be strong enough to push
heavy submersibles off course.
Crabs, however, are experts at dealing with the perils of the deep sea. “They constantly adjust their bodies to
endure the currents and waves,” says Bong-Huan Jun, an engineer at the Korea Research Institute of Ships
& Ocean Engineering. He helped create the Crabster CR200, a car-size robot designed to take on seafloor
currents as easily as the real-life crabs it was modeled after.
Crabster scuttles along the bottom of the ocean, using its six legs and 30 joints to shift its body and stay
stable. The robot has 11 onboard cameras, including an acoustic one that can create a visual map of the
seafloor in murky conditions by using sound. Crabster can survey the seafloor, respond to oil spills, and
assist with search operations.
This past May, it helped with the rescue effort after a ferry carrying 476 people—mostly high school
students—capsized off the coast of South Korea. Nearly 300 people died. Jun and his team remotely guided
Crabster through rough seas to map the wreck site. Their maps helped point rescue divers in the right
direction. WATER CATCHER
The Namib Desert on Africa’s southwest coast is one of the driest places on Earth. Parts of it get only 2
millimeters (0.08 inches) of rain each year. Still, the Namib Desert beetle manages to get all the water it
needs by catching ocean fog that rolls over the desert each morning.
The beetle’s back is rough and covered in ridges. Microscopic water droplets from the fog gather on its
textured back. Once the droplets grow large enough, they roll down the thirsty beetle’s back and into its
mouth.
Constantine Megaridis, an engineer at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is working on creating textured
surfaces that mimic the beetle’s back—and could revolutionize the way people gather water.
Some people already use fog nets (pictured at left) to collect water droplets from the air in places where
water is scarce. Megaridis’s textured coatings could be applied to inexpensive fabrics to create a more
efficient netting. That could help the world’s 780 million people who lack drinking water. Megaridis says,
“We try to figure out what nature has done over millions of years, and then use that to improve technology.”
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SNAKEBOT
Robots with legs or wheels can get stuck in rough terrain. But a snake-shaped bot could slither through
bushes, swim in rivers, climb trees, and cross deserts—just like live snakes do.
Howie Choset, a roboticist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, spent years working
on a snake-inspired robot. But his design had a problem: It couldn’t climb sandy hills.
Many real-life snakes have trouble with sandy slopes too. But not the sidewinder, a snake found in desert
regions. Sidewinders scale sand dunes with ease.
To find out how sidewinders do it, Daniel Goldman, a physicist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in
Atlanta, used high-speed cameras to watch the snakes climb sandy inclines. He found that on a slope, they
adjust their motion to maximize how much of their body touches the ground. The extra surface area making
contact with the sand helps the snake scale the dune without sliding. Choset used Goldman’s findings to
update his robot. It now mimics the sidewinder’s motion. His snakebot could someday use its improved
slithering skills to squeeze inside collapsed buildings and find trapped victims, or to explore pyramids and
other tombs.
ROBO-FISH
It looks like a fish and moves like a fish, but don’t be fooled. The swimming machine at left was created to
patrol the seas for pollution. Luke Speller manages the European research team that created the 1.5-meter
(5-foot)-long
Robo-fish. “Let’s say someone is dumping chemicals or there’s a toxic leak,” he says. “We can get to it
straightaway, find out what is causing the problem, and put a stop to it.”
The swimming robot uses sensors to analyze the surrounding water. If it finds pollutants, it instantly reports
the information to a base station. This cuts the time it takes to locate and test for pollution “from weeks to
just a few seconds,” says Speller.
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Double-Entry Journal:
As you read the text, select phrases that you find meaningful or interesting. Write each phrase in the column below,
then write your reaction for each quote in the right column (for example: a comment, a question, a connection, or
analysis).
Title of Article: _________________________________________________________________
Author: ________________________________________________ VOL: ______ NO: ______
Page
From the text
My Thoughts
Academic Vocabulary: (list and define vocabulary from the text)
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Name:
Thursday
Name:
Wednesday
Name:
Tuesday
Name:
Monday
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