NOVEMBER 9-10th, 2019
10 am – 5 pm in 310 Jacobs Hall

Nature and the astonishing processes by which it governs the shapes and structures of organic and inorganic matter has always been a strong source of inspiration for artists and scientists. Often, natural structures form themselves in ways that seem to completely contradict our notions of how to build lasting, functional, and versatile structures. For example, some structures found in Nature surprise us by being both soft and flexible and at the same time strong and resilient. To explore how biological models stimulate the curiosity of today’s designers and researchers, this symposium will bring together various lectures by experts from the fields of art, architecture, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, robotics, and biology.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9th

10:00-10:10 am Opening by Simon Schleicher and Tomohiro Tachi

10:10-11:00 am Tadashi Tokieda
Department of Mathematics, Stanford University

11:00-12:00 pm Toshitake Kohno
Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Tokyo

12:00-1:30 pm Lunch Break

1:30 – 2:15 pm Tomohiro Tachi
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

2:15 – 3:00 pm Simon Schleicher
Department of Architecture, UC Berkeley

3:00 – 3:15 pm Coffee Break

3:15 – 4:00 pm Christine Gregg
NASA Ames Research Center

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10th

10:00 – 11:00 am Robert Full
Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley

11:00 – 12:00 pm Mimi Koehl
Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley

12:00 – 1:30 pm Lunch Break

1:30 – 2:15 pm Ronald S. Fearing
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley

2:15 – 3:00 pm Kazuya Saito
Faculty of Design, Kyushu University

3:15 – 4:00 pm Takuya Umedachi
Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Shinshu University

4:00 – 4:10 pm Closing Remarks

A collaboration between the University of Tokyo and the University of California, Berkeley.

Supported by:
The Institute of International Studies (IIS)
Department of Architecture
Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation
The Center for Japanese Studies

This event is open to the public