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EXAMPLES OF THE LESSONS Stabilimentia Description: Certain species of spiders create an additional structure on their spider web. Historically, these were thought to increase the structural integrity of the web, making it more stable (thus the name), but recently, it has been proven that their functions include: attracting prey, communicating with other spiders, camouflage, warning, etc. Hands-on: Structurally rigid and three dimensional sculptures will be fabricated using only flexible stretch wrap and random structural elements from the surrounding environment. Materials: Classroom furniture or trees or poles, scissors, stretch wrap Tensegrity Description: Many structures in nature are strong and stable as consequence of rigid structure being inside a flexible outer membrane. The examples include cells, whose shape is determined by the cytoskeleton inside phospholipid bilayer cell wall. Hands-on: Creation of a three-dimensional and structurally strong form will be achieved with wooden sticks and stretch wrap. The resulting structure is very strong despite the absence of any fasteners or glue. Materials: Wood sticks, stretch wrap Tessellations Description: Tessellation is a tiling of parts that fit together without any gaps or overlapping. Honeycombs, cellular tissues or foam are good examples. Hands-on: Designing and making models of two- and three-dimensional tessellations in nature, focusing specifically on Voronoi patterns and polyhedral packing. Materials: Poster board, tape, scissors, skewers, hot glue guns Frusta Description: Bee balm is a native and common plant that packs its seeds into space-optimizing seed pods. Each pocket containing an individual seed can be modeled with truncated cone (frustum). Hands-on: A two-dimensional shape will be calculated and designed in a way that it will form a truncated cone when folded. By taping the cones together a secondary shape (large sphere) will emerge as a consequence of the previous step. Materials: Poster board, tape, scissors, pencils, ruler, compass Fractals Description: Fractals are objects and patterns in nature, which are assembled of parts having the same form character as the whole. The examples are trees, snowflakes, coastlines, lungs, etc. in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth, fluid turbulence, and galaxy formation. Hands-on: Calculating, drawing and folding tetrahedrons from poster boards and assembling them into larger three-dimensional fractal sculptures following the simple algorithms. Materials: Poster board, tape, scissors, markers, pencils Pneumatics Description: Insect do not have muscles, rather an intricate system of fluidic network that control opening and closing of the legs’ joints. Hands-on: Design and fabrication of a model of spider elbow, leg or an entire spider-like system of joints and arms. Materials: Hand pumps, tubing, scissors, poster board, tape, pins, balloons LIST OF THE TOPICS: Part 1: Two Dimensions Hexagons: Plans Hexagons + Pentagons: Spheres Hexagons + Heptagons: Hyperbolic Surfaces Tessellations Patterns Part 2: Three Dimensions Saddle Tessellations / Froth / Vesicles Folding Origami / Petals in a Bud Tensegrity / Stretch-wrapped Skeletons Fractals Polyhedra / Lattice Cells Part 3: Material Science Polymerization Stabilimentia / Spider Net Calcification Gels / Hydrogels Iridescence Hydrophobicity Fly on the Ceiling 3D Printing Part 4: Color Reflection / Refraction / Rainbows and Sunsets Luminescence Chromatophores Vision / Optical Illusions Mixing Colors / Pigments / Lights Stenciling with Photosynthesis Part 5: Motion and Flow Pneumatic Activators / Spider legs / Flower Opening Jet Propulsion Motion through Growth Self-Assembly Wheels / Wings / Legs / Fins Dandelion Seeds Part 6: Emergence and Growth Seed Pods / Truncated Cone / Frustum Voronoi Tessellations Branching Wasp Nest Weaving / Bird Nests Part 7: Systems and Exchange Energy / Heat Communication Part 8: Electricity Fuel Cells Neurons Part 9: Sound Vibrations / Reed Drums / Xylophone Waves / Strings |