Today we had the pleasure to work with students from the High School of Dimini, a school in rural Magnesia. Fifteen students and their teacher Ms. Apostolia Kotzagiotou visited the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Thessaly. By applying innovative design methods, the students collaborated in teams to introduce innovative solutions for the United Nations Sustainability Goals (UN SDGs). Innovation methods explored by students include design thinking, a profoundly anthropocentric design method to introduce solutions to complex challenges through exploration, ideation, evaluation, and prototyping; biomimicry, a process of designing solutions inspired by nature’s forms and processes, such as organisms and ecosystems, to solve human challenges in sustainable ways; and multi-species design, an emerging approach that considers the needs, prospects, and well-being of both human and non-human species, such as animals, plants, and ecosystems, promoting ecological consciousness, supporting biodiversity, and redefining the way we live and interact with the natural world. The action was carried out in the framework of the research project Let’s Mimic (http://letsmimic.eu), funded by the Erasmus+ program, which introduces engaging learning design for biomimicry. The project will be implemented from 2023 to 2026, with the coordination of the University of Thessaly and the participation of educational organisations from Romania, France, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey see more
