Course Introduction | The Nature of Engineering

Are you interested in investigating how nature engineers itself? How engineers copy the shapes found in nature ("biomimetics")? This Freshman Seminar investigates why similar shapes occur in so many natural things and how physics changes the shape of nature. Why are things in nature shaped the way they are? How do birds fly? Why do bird nests look the way they do? How do woodpeckers peck? Why can't trees grow taller than they are? Why is grass skinny and hollow? What is the wood science behind musical instruments? Questions such as these are the subject of biomimetic research and they have been the focus of investigation in this course for the past three years.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• mit
• opencourseware

[QuanSai]

I'd give my life to take that course.

[nanogirl]

Great video - thanks for filling us in!

[nfgsum41]

well then you wouldnt be able to take it...

[danielam1992]

the computer screen in the back doesn't look too old, but the older it is, the better the course.

[Kringlebageren]

This sounds as an amazing course, it has the right mind towards engineering.

[raftjm]

outstanding concept, we're going to show your videos to kids in Minneapolis that are interested in engineering and science.

go girl!

raftjm

[mahrunes]

How old is this video?