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Biomimicry Events in April

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Biomimicry AB Newsletter

We’ve been quiet for a while but we’re waking back up with our first newsletter of 2023. Here’s a few virtual happenings this month that are biomimicry-focused or adjacent. We’ll aim to send an event listing like this every month or so.

(Dates are based on North America Mountain Time (MT), Most of these event websites will auto-adjust to fit your date + timezone, but do double check)

Liberation Agriculture
Thursday April 6, 2023 – 2-4pm MT
Online, free
https://liberationagriculture.splashthat.com/?mc_cid=26173d93fa&mc_eid=a7a1654c93

  • “Liberation Agriculture is an upcoming film series focused on communities across the U.S., from Detroit, to South Dakota, to Nebraska, to Iowa who are cultivating much more than soil. Through their diverse stories, we weave the thread that reconnects agriculture with culture, showing that our most basic means of nourishing ourselves can’t be broken down into its constituent parts — it has to be valued as a holistic part of our lives. Those showcased speak to issues of land access, economic, racial, and social justice, and sovereignty, highlighting that the solution we need is a revolution… We invite you to join us for a viewing of select clips and a panel discussion featuring the communities shown in the series.” Organized by Green America, Regenerosity, and A Growing Culture.

Leveraging the Experience of Nature to Address Water Challenges
Thursday April 13, 2023, 1-2:30 MT
Online, free
https://www.cclmportal.ca/portal/wetland-knowledge/events/webinar-leveraging-experience-nature-address-water-challenges

  • “Nature is gifted with a large toolbox and has a long history of effective water management worldwide, yet we continue to not take full advantage of these tools and breadth of expertise. Speakers will share insights on the value of nature-based solutions and, through case studies, comment on the learnings, success and impact of leveraging nature to address water challenges.” Organized by the Government of Alberta.

Bringing Biomimicry to Life
Friday April 14, 2023, 10-11am MT
Online, free
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bringing-biomimicry-to-life-tickets-59600955963

  • “Join Jamie Miller, Director of Biomimicry at B+H Architects and President of Biomimicry Frontiers, to hear exciting updates for how biomimicry is being brought to life… Whether you are just entering the field or have been involved for years, this event will shed light on what biomimicry in action looks like, how we push the paradigm, and what it means for our future.” Organized by Biomimicry Frontiers.

Biomimetic Footware V2.0
Saturday April 29, 2023, 9am – 2pm MT
Online, about $50 CAD
https://designmorphine.com/education/biomimetic-footwear-v2-0

  • “Biomimetic Footwear V2.0 explores the use of different strategies to create footwear, from Ai with MidJourney to parametric and traditional modeling to explore Avant Garde bio-inspired footwear concepts. Participants will be learning how take a concept from idea to form and visually presented in a convincing render. Starting with an intro into exploration of design concepts via MidJourney as a source of inspiration. Realizing designs through sculpting and computational design taking SubD modeling as the foundation and subsequently applying generative forms in Grasshopper.” (Experience with of 3D modelling and/or Rhino 3D may be helpful to get the most out of this workshop.) Organized by Design Morphine.

Think Like a Pro! Panel Discussion Nov 27th, 2020

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Join us for a panelists discussion about how to grow as a biomimicry professional. Our three Canadian presenters will speak to their how they learned more about biomimicry, and the opportunities that are out there today.

Biomimicry Alberta Lecture Series: Think Like a Pro
Friday November 27, 2020
12:00 MST to 1:00

Register Here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/think-like-a-pro-tickets-129624192449

Panelists include:

  • Anne-Marie Daniel, Partner, Innovation, NatuR&D
  • Jamie Miller, President, Biomimicry Frontiers
  • Omar Al-Zehhawi, Architectural Design Manager/Project Manager
  • And hosted by Marjan Eggermont, Teaching Professor, University of Calgary

Biomimicry Alberta was created to ignite a regional network for design innovation, to promote learning by exploring nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies, and to create synergies for sustainable change in Alberta.

Anne-Marie Daniel, Partner, Innovation, NatuR&D
Over a career as a mediator highlighting the problems facing people and the planet, Anne-Marie has a deep belief in people’s creative spirit and desire to have a lifestyle that is in sync with Nature. With some extra help in the form of teamwork, talent and tools, she believes we can design our way out of this planetary mess if everyone brings their piece of the puzzle. Anne-Marie holds a BFA in Theatre Design, a Graduate Certificate in Mediation, a Masters in Biomimicry and is a Certified Biomimicry Professional.

Jamie Miller, President, Biomimicry Frontiers
Jamie Miller is the Founder of Biomimicry Frontiers – an award winning sustainability consultancy based out of Guelph, Ontario. He earned his PhD in engineering at the University of Guelph, focusing on systems-level biomimicry in urban resilience and was the director of the Biomimicry program at OCAD University. Jamie has recently started the Biomimicry Commons, an education and incubation platform, which Fast Company called a “World Changing Idea” in 2019. He is a two-time TEDx speaker and was named a “New Centurion” by the David Suzuki foundation.

Omar Al-Zehhawi, Architectural Design Manager/Project Manager
Omar is an award-winning Architectural Designer/Project Manager with 25+ years of flourishing international experience in the architectural industry. He holds a Master’s degree in Architecture with an approach specialized in comparing primitive pattern-based architecture to structures built by organisms. His passion in studying the relation of form and nature led him to generate and develop a multitude of creative and sustainable designs inspired by the process of biomimicry, creating spaces that focuses on improving the wellbeing of communities.”

Marjan Eggermont, Teaching Professor, University of Calgary
Dr. Marjan Eggermont is a Teaching Professor and faculty member at the University of Calgary in the Mechanical and Manufacturing department of the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. She co-founded and designs ZQ (zqjournal.org), an online journal to provide a platform to showcase the nexus of science and design using case studies, news, and articles.

Biomimicry Presentation: Design Inspired by Nature

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Discover biomimicry, an emerging discipline that solves design challenges by taking inspiration from nature.

Biomimicry teaches us how to become an integral part of the natural world: acknowledging the strength and resilience of the living systems that support us, and showing us that we can, and should, support them in return. This presentation by University of Alberta alumna Kira Hunt will share examples of innovations inspired by nature that can help us live more gently upon the Earth.

Electron microscopes and other new tools are allowing us to see from nano to macro like never before, showing us the shapes and inter-relationships of the natural world that are all around us, but that have been invisible until recently. With new approaches, come new inspirations: building on time-tested patterns that have evolved over billions of years, we can learn how to design waste-free and sustainable solutions.

Register here

About Kira Hunt

Kira Hunt is a landscape technologist at IBI Group in Edmonton specializing in park design, structural detailing and heritage interpretation. She is also a member of Biomimicry Alberta’s core group, helping to coordinate the non-profit network of design innovators. She received a BA from the University of Alberta before returning to school for a diploma in Landscape Architectural Technology from NAIT and a graduate certificate in Biomimicry from Arizona State University.

This lecture is presented by the University of Alberta’s Sustainability Council.

Biomimicry Alberta at BUILDEX Calgary, Thursday Nov 7

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Sharks, Termites and More of Nature’s Brilliance
BMO Centre, Calgary

Join Kira Hunt, Linda Selin and Micheal Williamson to learn about biomimicry and nature-informed strategies for the built environment. Register for session T06 at https://www.buildexalberta.com/en/home.html

“Today’s scientists, chemists, biologists, zoologists, architects, engineers, designers and many more are solving their challenges by looking to nature’s design. Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies for new ways of manufacturing and living that are well adapted to life on earth over the long haul. Designing, creating and building; whether spaces, places or things, can be directed and learned from the natural world. Nature holds a catalog of products within it. Each with nearly 3.8 billion years of research and development.”

Also – Mark your calendars for a second Calgary event January 31st, 2020 hosted in partnership with BUILDEX Alberta and the Calgary Public Library. More information to come!

Bio Inspired + Design Workshop at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

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Marjan Eggermont to present at upcoming Bio Inspired + Design Camp workshop in Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, August 17-18, 2019. The program will include (weather & water permitting) Tubing at the Milk River, a Rock Art Tour, and a Wild & Native Plant Walk and Tour in and around the hoodoos. 

Because they only have limited campsite (tent/RV) space, they will review applications and confirm reservations by August 12, 2019. Please send applications by August 10th to:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5YYTMRW