Lectures on Nature

In the last two decades, biomimicry or biomimetics has taken off. It looks like the solutions to many of our design problems already exist in nature. For the solutions to our problems we can ask nature. Or, if we have a problem, we can ask “how nature would solve this problem?”.
         These problems can be broadly categorized into two groups:
          (1) Design problems, and
          (2) Organizational problems.
The first class   are typical design problems and solutions. Some examples are Leaf-Solar cell, Cocklebur-Velcro, Lotus leaf-Hydrophobic surfaces, Mosquito-Hypodermic needles, Abalone shell-Crack-proof ceramics, Spider silk-Kevlar, Bioluminescence-Firefly, OLEDs-Bioluminescent organisms, Fasteners-Gecko, Organic batteries-Electric eel, Sonar-Bat, Shark skin-Swimmer suit, Self-healing structures-Human body, Recycling-Nature, …and so on.
The second class of problems are related to organization: Self-organization, organization behavior, leadership, networking, sustainability, and so on. In the past many studies have been done on ants, termites, honeybees, wasps, meerkats and such super societies which behave like super organisms. Scientists have spent decades studying these creatures, and on the lessons they can teach about how humans might better interact with one another and the natural world. For example, honeybees, like us, represent a pinnacle of animal sociality. How they sacrifice individual needs into the colony-collective provides a lens through which to ponder human societies. Winston explains in his book “Bee Time”, how bees process information, structure work, and communicate, and examines how corporate boardrooms are using bee-societies as a model to improve collaboration. He investigates how bees have altered our understanding of agricultural ecosystems and how urban planners are looking to bees in designing more nature-friendly cities.
Listed below are lecture titles that may be inspirational to top management, R&D engineers, managers, quality experts, maintenance experts, supply chain experts. New ideas might emerge on how to design products and processes. Lectures are modular. A 2-day or 3-day or 4-day training program can be structured by mix-and-match of these lectures. You can read here an extended synopsis of Dr. Pratap Sundar's talk delivered on Sept 12, 2007 for the members of The Institution of Engineers (India), Kadapa Local Chapter, Andhra Pradesh, on the occasion of the birthday celebrations of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.
To know the brief about the topic, click on the topic of your interest.