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11
Nov
2020

Q&A with the editors of ‘Bioinspired Structures and Design’

Wole Soboyejo, Leo Daniel

What inspired Bioinspired Structures and Design?

This book was inspired by a course entitled “Bioinspired Structures” (16,982) that was taught by Prof. Leo Daniel at MIT. This highly successful course, which was posted on MIT’s open courseware, attracted the attention of Cambridge University Press, and led eventually to a contract with Cambridge University Press to develop the text for this book.

What do you hope will be the lasting impact of this book?

We hope that this book will enable advanced students, researchers and practicing engineers to learn about the basic ideas that could inspire the design and fabrication of multifunctional structures. We also hope that the book will serve as a useful reference text for courses with a focus on bio-inspired design.

Can you share any interesting anecdotes from the book?

Although the original course that inspired this was taught at MIT in 2009, it took us several years of procrastination before we summoned up the energy to really focus on preparing the text. We are particularly grateful to the authors of the chapters, Cambridge University Press (Steve Elliott, Julia Ford, and Clare Dennison) and Ms. Donna Zuidema for helping us to complete this book.

Why is Bioinspired Structures and Design book important?

This book is important because it brings together knowledge from multiple disciplines in science and engineering that enable the design of bio-inspired structures at multiple scales. This includes perspectives from biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, materials science, and nanoscience that provide the basis for interdisciplinary multifunctional bioinspired design.

Who is the primary audience for the book?

This book will be suitable for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in science and engineering. It could also serve as an important resource to those engaged in research and the design of structures.

Based on your previous answer to the primary audience of the book, what are the market needs/key challenges this audience faces?

The major challenges that are faced by the primary audience include: ready access to diverse sources of information from multiple fields, and the availability of text that is accessible to people with diverse backgrounds. There is clearly a market need to bring such diverse information and approaches into one coherent text.

Does Bioinspired Structures and Design solve this need/challenge? How?

Yes, our book provides a coherent thematic approach that enables the readers to see how basic principles can be applied to bioinspired design in some well identified thematic areas.

What unique features do you think make the book stand out in the market?

The multidisciplinary approach of this book is a key aspect of its uniqueness. The book also bridges across multiple length scales to provide new insights for the design of nano, micro- and meso-scale structures. This is done in a way that is accessible to non-experts with a foundation in science and/or engineering.

Bioinspired Structures and Design edited by Wole Soboyejoand Leo Daniel

About The Authors

Wole Soboyejo

Wole Soboyejo currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Provost at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts....

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Leo Daniel

Leo Daniel is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Provost of the College of Engineering and Technology at Kwara State University, Nigeria....

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