2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Biomimicry as an Authentic Anchor - T-shirt Launcher Design Challenge (Resource Exchange)

Presented at Pre-College Engineering Education Curriculum and Resource Exchange

The Biomimicry as an Authentic Anchor (BAA) project enables students to engage in science and engineering practices through the use of biomimetic design. Biomimicry is an approach that uses inspiration from the natural world (i.e., animals) to solve engineering problems. In an example design challenge, students are tasked with designing a t-shirt launcher that can reach the highest seats in a stadium. This activity requires students to research organisms that are effective at launching themselves vertically and to use at least one organism as inspiration for their design. This resource provides educators a lesson that integrates biology and engineering design through the use of structure/function analysis.

Authors

Ms. Tyrine Jamella Pangan Tufts University [biography]

Tyrine Jamella Pangan is a STEM Education PhD student at Tufts University and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO).
Geling Xu Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach [biography]

Geling Xu is a Ph.D. student in STEM Education at Tufts University and a research assistant at Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach. She is interested in K-12 STEM Education, AI Education, MakerSpace, LEGO Education, and course design.
Dr. Ethan E Danahy http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1431-8031 Tufts University [biography]

Dr. Ethan Danahy is a Research Associate Professor at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) with secondary appointment in the Department of Computer Science within the School of Engineering at Tufts University. Having received his graduate degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, he continues research in the design, implementation, and evaluation of different educational technologies. With particular attention to engaging students in the STEAM content areas, he focuses his investigations on enhancing creativity and innovation, supporting better documentation, and encouraging collaborative learning.
Debra Bernstein
Dr. Michael Cassidy
William Church

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