A year ago, the Biomimicry Club at Baldwin Wallace initiated a project to aid coral reef populations using 3D technology and biomimicry. The club’s mission was to help prevent the impacts of coral bleaching caused by global warming. Biomimicry, which the club is named for, is the practice in which scientists use technology and study nature to solve human or nature-based issues.
The club uses engineering projects to address environmental issues, said Noah Baer, vice president of the club. “What we’re doing right now is trying to help with coral bleaching, which is just the sun getting too hot from global warming and bleaching and killing the corals,” Baer said. “So right now, our big project that we’ve invested a lot of money into is to help coral bleaching.”
Baer also spoke about the impacts of global warming and the importance of coral reef populations. “First off, we are causing the problem of global warming. We should help with that, if we can, and coral reefs provide a habitat for 25% of marine life. So, I think that’s a pretty significant statistic that we should actually listen to,” Baer said.
The main component of the project is taking biodegradable materials and using 3D printing technology to help coral reefs that cannot be reproduced. The biodegradable 3D printed coral is based off the branches of a bonsai tree and other parts of nature to apply to this project, said Baer. “I was taking zoology at the time, and Dr. Andrew Merwin showed us the statistic that I mentioned. I thought maybe we could do something to help with that. Polylactic Acid (PLA) filament is made from cornstarch, so it’s biodegradable. I thought if we 3D printed coral reefs because they can’t reproduce, we can make these corals and put them in the Florida Keys, so we could sustain the habitat for the creatures,” Baer explained.
Another major goal of the project is to increase student involvement and help the environment by partnering with companies like Majestic Meadows, a family-owned farm based in Medina that is an exotic animal zoo. “We just want to get the campus involved… (with) people who care about the environment,” Baer said. “We’re doing a lot of trips…We’re trying to encourage critical thinking. We’re reaching out to Majestic Meadows, and if they have a problem within their actual zoo, we sit down as a club and try to work together to help them out.”
The club is now a year into the project, Baer said. “We’re probably about twenty-five percent of the way there; we’re pre-research. It’s hard to get these corals released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and it’ll probably take another year or two for that to get approved by the NOAA to be released in the Florida Keys,” Baer said.
The club meets bi-weekly, twice a month. If you’re interested in more information, you can email Noah Baer at [email protected].
