The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Thessaly (DECE), and specifically the Creative Technology Learning Lab research team (http://ctll.e-ce.uth.gr), organised an educational action for high school students on encouraging innovation for sustainability and biomimicry for the design of solutions inspired by nature. The action occurred on March 31, 2025, at the computer laboratory of DECE. Fifteen students of Dimini High School participated, accompanied by their teacher, Mrs. Apostolia Kotzagiotou.
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.