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Blue Mussels: Expert Sustainable Engineers: 01 Exploring Sustainable Innovations

Blue Mussels: Expert Sustainable Engineers: 01 Exploring Sustainable Innovations
Contributors
Beyond Benign
Beyond Benign, Inc.
Robert Baldo
Professor | Bridgewater State University
Learning Objets
Summary
This lesson will introduce students to biomimicry, first by decoding and defining the word, then by an interactive matching game. The lesson wraps up by introducing blue mussels through reading.
Keyword Tags
Biomimicry
Blue Mussels
Sustainable Engineering
Adhesives
Elementary STEM
File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
exploring_sustainable_innovations_revised-jan-28-2026.docx
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
- Explain how scientists use nature as inspiration for sustainable technology.
- Decode and define the term biomimicry.
- Understand the main ideas of a text and identify key supporting details.
- Participate in a biomimicry matching activity to explore nature-inspired innovations.
- Identify why blue mussels are models for safer, waterproof adhesives.
Object Type
Activities/Technology (e.g., in-class activities, online games, hands-on activities/manipulatives, outreach, virtual tools, etc.)
Audience
Elementary School
Other Faculty Educators/Teachers
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Design for Energy Efficiency
Use of Renewable Feedstocks
Design for Degradation
Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Quality Education
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action
Life Below Water
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
This is a non-laboratory activity involving reading, discussion, and matching cards or using computers/tablets. No chemicals or hazardous materials are used. Standard classroom expectations apply: safe handling of paper materials, supervised technology use, and appropriate group collaboration. No additional safety requirements.

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Submitted by

Tyler Schisler
Published on
Moderation state
Published
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Blue Mussels: Expert Sustainable Engineers: 02 Stuck on Sustainability
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Blue Mussels: Expert Sustainable Engineers: 04 Survival of the Stickiness
Collection
3rd Grade Resources
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.