Class Description There is much that we as Engineers, Architects and Artists can learn by a study of Nature. Without entering at this stage into the old argument about the existence of a "designer" for Nature, it is evident - or shall we say that "we hold that truth to be self-evident" - that organisms in nature (animals, trees, even rivers, etc.) have a spatial and temporal organization and that these organizations serve functions, however defined and from whatever viewpoint. Any such naturally organized systems, living and not living - any particular arrangement of elements in space and time- which serves a function, constitutes a "design." Indeed as science probes deeper into the molecular constituents of life, whole arrays of molecular engines, similar from organism to organism, reveal themselves. At the macroscopic level, there are obvious similarities between "networks visible in tree branches, roots, leaves, lungs, vascularized tissues, dendrites in rapid solidification, axonal arbors, river basins, deltas, lightnings, streets, and other paths of telecommunication."* Even in temporal organizations, similarities "in the finely tuned frequencies of respiration, circulation, and pulsating and meandering flows"* are apparent. Understanding how nature is engineered can help determine how a shape occurs and how a structure develops. It can also stimulate the imagination of would-be designers, teach them observation, extrapolation, adaptation, flexibility, simplicity, ingenuity, humility, and other qualities that make for a good designer. A world of naturally developed forms opens up. The lines between engineering, architecture, science and sculpture fade without these activities losing their integrity. New construction methods simulating natural processes may be suggested - structures may be "grown" rather than "constructed." The course has three modules: descriptive, theoretical and a project. Participation in a project is required of all students, while the descriptive or theoretical modules are at the student's choice. Modules for in-depth study are available in written and video form. However, surveys and lectures about the material in the descriptive and theoretical modules is at a level accessible to all students and is required of all students, so that a common language and a basic understanding can be established in all participants. Principles of design are abstracted and applied to various projects through a survey and description with direct lab observation and experimentation. A firm theoretical background is established through a study and research in the modeling of these systems as presented in Adrian Bejan's book "Advanced Thermodynamics" and his numerous articles. On that basis, projects are developed for designing optimal "natural structures" During the first five weeks of class a variety of theoretical materials are presented and discussed. From a study of street patterns to heat flow patterns and fluid flow patterns to that of time patterns and solid patterns, we see how a fundamental principle of growth and structure development can be postulated in nature and technical applications. The remaining class time is devoted entirely to the project. The project will be a group effort including two or three students per group. Groups are formed during the first week and the projects started after instructors' approval in the second week. The deliverables include:
Class participation may include exams on theoretical material, participation in class discussions and in group activities, group leadership, and initiative. * Bejan, Adrian: Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics,
2nd Edition. |
