Biomimicry, Bioinspiration, and the San Diego Zoo 

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Biomimicry, Bioinspiration, and the San Diego Zoo: The Zoo as a Living Library and Resource for Innovation
Plenary presentation from SPIE Smart Structures/NDS 2012
James Danoff-Burg, San Diego Zoo Global (USA)
Abstract: Bioinspiration, alsoknown as biomimicry or biomimetics, is an interdisciplinary process in which biological principles and elements are studied in order to draw analogies to be applied to human innovation. Dr. James Danoff-Burg, Director of the Conservation Education Division at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, will take participants on an adaptation tour of San Diego Zoo Global's diverse plant and animal collections, highlighting examples of how the natural world can inspire engineering. His talk will be complimented with an interactive exercise to help stimulate creative thinking and an in-person visit from a San Diego Zoo Animal Ambassador.