A typical “meet up” of Master’s of Science in Biomimicry students includes video chats and virtual coursework assignments as they work toward their degrees.
But during the Spring Flock at Rancho Robles in Arizona in May, students gathered in-person, where they met their classmates and the faculty and worked together on learning exercises in the Sonoran Desert. It was an optional, low-cost gathering organized by Dr. Dayna Baumeister, The Biomimicry Center co-director and professor of practice at ASU.
“There was lots of fun and laughter,” Baumeister said. “We put faces to names and had great dialogue.”
Biomimicry 3.8 and ASU partnered in 2015 to begin offering the world’s first accredited master’s degree program for biomimicry. The Biomimicry Center at ASU helps facilitate biomimicry education and research. The program graduated its first group of MS students in the Fall of 2015.
Learn more about the programs here
The Spring Flock was Baumeister’s idea. It was open to all students enrolled in biomimicry online programs. She wanted to add a community building component to the program that would help energize students as they head into a new semester of online learning. Although online learning offers a flexibility and convenience necessary for many, it can sometimes feel remote. The Flock helped add an inspirational immersion component to the program, Baumeister said.
Students from several countries and across the U.S. joined the first Spring Flock. The 2017 Flock is already set for late March at Rancho Robles.
“There was just so much buzz, so much excitement about biomimicry,” she said. “They were so excited to see each other, hang out and have fun.”
The deadline Fall 2016 MS enrollment application deadline is June 1. The Biomimicry Center’s website has information about the programs, deadlines, and other opportunities. Learn more about Biomimicry 3.8’s professional training programs here.
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