Engineering Education for the Next Generation: A Nature-Inspired Approach

Your students will not only understand engineering principles, but also use them to design and make their own Nature-inspired inventions. Studded with more than 150 photos of natural phenomena and Nature-inspired technologies, this fascinating and practical book clearly demonstrates that engineering design is broadly relevant for all students, not just those who may become scientists or engineers. Samuel Cord Stier provides activities for students at every grade level to explore design concepts and engage in activities aligned with the design standards of the NGSS and the maker movement. Kids will love seeing how snail- inspired fluid dynamics are built into the design of flexible armor and bulletproof vests, and how ant- and bird- inspired algorithms have transformed video games and robots. Engineering Education for the Next Generation is a wonderful introduction to the topic for any teacher who wants to understand more about engineering design in particular, and STEM in general.

About the Author :
Sam Stier is Executive Director of The Center for Learning with Nature (www.LearningWithNature.org), a non-profit organization providing STEM curricula and teacher training founded on the captivating power and modern importance of the natural world. Mr. Stier leads teacher trainings for primary, secondary, and post-secondary educators all over the world, workshops for design professionals, and is a sought-after public speaker. A consultant on Nature-inspired technological innovation and author of the award-winning K-12 curriculum Engineering Inspired by Nature, he is a faculty member at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, where he teaches science and sustainable design.

Review :
As Stier unpacks how nature has provided an inspiration for innovators and inventors, he creates a compelling case as to why STEAM educators should utilize nature-inspired examples as students first examine the engineering process and engage in engineering experiences.--Christine Anne Royce, Ed.D., Professor of Science Education, Shippensburg University and 2018-2019 NSTA President It is such a wonderful book that I wish I were a K-12 teacher ready to jump into this. The chapter on structural engineering is what we teach to second-year engineering students. My initial thought when I started reading was, why introduce this topic so early to K-12 students? And when I finished, my thought was, why not?--Mariappan Jawaharlal, PhD, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, Fellow, Biomimicry Institute Sam Stier offers an altogether new hands-on approach to teaching engineering that draws upon the excitement of living things that are all around us in the world. I only wish that some of my K-12 teachers would have read this extraordinary book.--Norman R. Augustine, Retired Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corp. With Sam Stier's work, our students leverage their astonishment and amazement of Nature towards ambition and activism in tackling the immense challenges ahead. Blending solid science with infinite possibility, Sam Stier reminds us that we are not yet finished evolving.--Robert Gilson, M.A., M.Ed., STEAM Specialist, Blue School, NYC As a 30-year veteran of STEM education, I consider Engineering Education for the Next Generation: A Nature-Inspired Approach among the best resources I have ever seen.--Brett Criswell, PhD Assistant Professor of Secondary Education, Science, West Chester University Enhanced with the inclusion of thirty-two pages of Notes and a thirty-one page Index, Engineering Education for the Next Generation: A Nature-Inspired Approach will prove to be an ideal and extraordinary curriculum textbook that is unreservedly recommended for school district in-service teacher training programs, as well as college and university library Teacher Education collections and supplemental studies reading lists.-- "Midwest Book Review"