In my Junior STEAM elective, Biomimicry, we learned about designs based on nature, specifically plants. In the first unit, Like a Plant, we studied different plants and their survival and evolution tactics and how they evolved with the certain traits they have. We also looked at evolution to see how different species evolved to survive over time. We looked at different products made that were inspired by plants. We traveled to the Lincoln Park Conservatory to study different plants and their traits. We also studied the Fibonacci sequence, which is a sequence of numbers commonly found in nature. For this action project, we were asked to either think of a human challenge and find a plant that could help solve it, or find a plant, and design a product inspired by that plant. I chose the latter. I was watching my cats play at home, and I was thinking about their cat tree, so I decided I would try to come up with a creative and more sustainable idea for a cat tree. I found the Baobab Tree, which is a tall tree that has an ecosystem of its own. I enjoyed this project, but it did challenge me to think outside of the box. I hope you enjoy my design.
In conclusion, this product was somewhat challenging for me. I learned more about design than I did plants, but it was still very useful. I really had to think outside the box for this project, as I really didn't have any solid ideas for a design until I saw my own cats playing around. I am proud of the design, although it is more of a novelty than I would have liked it to be. I have gotten positive feedback, but I maybe would have liked to think of a more useful product. In the end, I am happy with how this project turned out, and I liked that I was challenged more than I usually am.
