The Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge (YDC) is a project-based learning experience and team design competition for middle and high school students. The program introduces youth to bio-inspired design as they take on the role of innovators to research and design a solution to a sustainability-related challenge.

In the YDC educators (“Coaches”) guide student teams through the program with curriculum and support from the Biomimicry Institute. The core resource for the YDC is a comprehensive 7-lesson module (14 class hours) that takes teachers and students through a biomimicry design methodology. Throughout the Challenge, there are numerous opportunities to extend, enrich, and customize the program with connections to specific science content, local concerns, or other teaching objectives. Project duration may vary from 4 weeks to a full semester or more, depending on implementation, and can be incorporated into existing classes or conducted as an extracurricular activity. The program and all resources are provided free of charge.

During the program, students will:

• Experience a design process blending design thinking, engineering, and biomimicry.
• Define sustainability problems and identify criteria and constraints.
• Explore how forms, processes, and systems in nature can inspire innovative and sustainable design solutions.
• Find and use scientific information from credible sources.
• Work in teams to design nature-inspired solutions and present them to an authentic audience.