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Discover Nature’s Genius in Brazil

Discover Nature’s Genius

November 4-10, 2023 | Brazil

Join Dr. Dayna Baumeister on a journey through one of the most biodiverse natural areas on the planet! Nestled along the coast of Brazil, the Atlantic Forest awaits, teeming with life and brimming with inspiration. Our week-long immersion, led by world-class instructors, is designed to inspire you to discover better ways to innovate — via the methodology that change-makers around the world are using to meet some of our most pressing challenges and to create disruptive, regenerative innovation: biomimicry.

The Atlantic Forest of Brazil provides a stunning backdrop to help introduce participants to biomimicry, allowing them to discover, unpack, and be inspired by biological intelligence that they can bring to their work. Here, in this vibrant ecosystem that rivals even the mighty Amazon, you’ll meet myriad of unique and fascinating creatures – our mentors – from the 21 primate species and 200 bird species found nowhere else in the world, to the 20,000 species of plants that call this place home.

With biomimicry as your guide, you’ll learn how to observe, mimic, and apply the lessons of nature to your own work. To truly practice biomimicry, there’s no substitute for immersing yourself in the natural world and learning alongside a passionate multidisciplinary community.

The registration period has closed.

What To Expect

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We will explore Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, a vital ecosystem teeming with unique plant and animal species, many of which don’t exist anywhere else on Earth – and new species are being documented all the time! Every immersion workshop is tailored to the local ecosystem, which sets each day up to be brimming with training and discovery. You should plan to clear your agenda and fully immerse yourself in the biomimicry experience.

Together, we will study the interconnections, quiet our human cleverness, observe the genius of the forest’s flora and fauna, and learn how nature has evolved elegant solutions to the very same problems we face. Toucans might teach us how to build strong, lightweight structures that also regulate temperature, while recently discovered humming frogs may show us how to get our message/signal through the noise and to the audience we need. The vulnerable thin-spined porcupine, endemic to this region, could inspire ideas about packaging, modularity, structural integrity, and protection.

Upon completing this immersion workshop, you will be able to begin to integrate the practice of biomimicry into your work and life. The workshop experience will prepare you to:

  • Identify sustainable (and regenerative!) innovation strategies in nature
  • Understand functional objectives being achieved by forms, processes, and systems in nature
  • Translate biological intelligence into relevant and applicable solutions and strategies
  • Recognize and use Life’s Principles—design lessons found universally throughout nature—as inspiration for innovative strategies and sustainability benchmarks

Who Should Attend?

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This workshop is open to professional and university-level participants from all backgrounds and levels of experience with biomimicry. The agenda is designed for:

  • Innovators, regardless of sector, who are interested in bringing nature’s genius to their project work and innovation strategies
  • Sustainability champions who want to be inspired by the natural world as they work to solve humanity’s toughest sustainability challenges
  • Educators who want to bring nature’s genius into the classroom
  • Students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Biomimicry program with Arizona State University interested in Biomimicry Specialist Certification. This Immersion Workshop counts as one of two required in-person units. Learn more about the requirements for the Biomimicry Specialist Certification here.

Pricing

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The all-inclusive price for the workshop includes overnight accommodations for six nights; all activities during the week; delicious vegetarian, locally harvested meals and snacks; tuition and course materials; transportation from the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG ) Galeão International Airport; and administration costs. A variety of accommodations are available at Sinal do Vale to meet your needs and budget, from shared rooms to private en suite rooms. See photos of the rooms on Sinal do Vale’s website.

Participants are responsible for the cost of travel to and from the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GIG ) Galeão International Airport and any needed lodging and transportation before and after the workshop.

Our home base for the week is Sinal do Vale. Instituto Sinal do Vale is a regenerative education campus and retreat space designed for supporting the development of leaders and change-makers who embrace sustainability. The property includes 3 natural pools, 2 saunas, 4 trails, and an entire rainforest with breathtaking views.

All rooming types are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Reserve your spot for only $500.

Shared room with shared bathroom | $4,200
These shared rooms have two or three twin beds and a shared bathroom in the hallway.

Shared room ensuite | $4,400
These shared rooms have two or three twin beds and a private en suite bathroom.

Private room with shared bathroom | $4,550
These deluxe rooms provide a comfortable queen size bed and a shared bathroom in the hallway.

Private room ensuite | $4,650
These deluxe rooms provide a comfortable queen size bed and your own en suite bathroom.

Scholarships and Discounts

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Scholarships – The scholarship application period is now closed.

A limited number of partial scholarships are available. The scholarship is intended to make the workshop accessible to individuals who are early adopters, innovators, and change agents in their fields, and who can help empower the world with nature’s genius. We especially encourage Indigenous scientists, engineers, designers, and educators to apply. The scholarship is open to applicants from anywhere in the world. The purpose of the scholarships is to build a broad and diverse cohort of participants, and the workshop leaders will award them based solely on the applicant’s answers to the application.

Scholarship applications are due by August 1, 2023.

Discounts – All workshop discounts are sold out.

  • Student discount: Enrolled university students save $250.
  • ASU Students: Enrolled ASU students save $500. 
  • Local Discount: Brazilian citizens save $250

All discounts have limited availability, are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, and may not be combined. 

Registration

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The registration period has closed.

Cancellation Policy
Deposits are non-refundable. Cancellation 6+ weeks prior to the workshop, your deposit will become a credit that you can use at a later date or transfer as a gift. Cancellation 4-6 weeks prior to the workshop, a $500 cancellation fee plus incurred expenses will be deducted from your refund amount unless your seat is filled by someone else. Less than one month from the workshop start date, no refunds are permitted, but partial credit towards a future workshop will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If the workshop is canceled for any reason by Biomimicry 3.8, workshop fees will be refunded in full.

Instructors

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Dr. Dayna Baumeister | With a devotion to applied natural history and a passion for sharing the genius of nature, Dr. Dayna Baumeister has worked in the field of biomimicry with business partner Janine Benyus since 1998, traveling the world as a biomimicry thought-leader, business consultant, and professor. Together they founded the Biomimicry Guild consulting practice, The Biomimicry Institute 501c3, and  Biomimicry 3.8, a B-Corp social enterprise that helps clients find innovation inspired by nature and offers the highest level of biomimicry training to professionals worldwide.

Dayna’s foundational work has been critical to the biomimicry movement, establishing it as a fresh and innovative practice, as well as a philosophy to meet the world’s sustainability challenges. As an educator, researcher, and design consultant, Dayna has helped more than 100 companies consult the natural world for elegant and sustainable design solutions, as diverse as Nike, Interface, General Mills, Boeing, Google, Natura, Herman-Miller, Kohler, Seventh Generation and Procter & Gamble. Dayna is a natural systems thinker and brings a unique perspective to her work to help others see nature as model, measure, and mentor. She designed and teaches the world’s first MSc in Biomimicry as a Professor of Practice at ASU, co-founded, is director of The Biomimicry Center at ASU. She compiled more than 20 years of experience in the practice of biomimicry into the world’s only textbook for the field: Biomimicry Resource Handbook: A Seed Bank of Knowledge and Best Practices (2014).

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Brittany Jerlinga | Brittany Jerlinga regularly gets excited about mucus, misunderstood creatures, and things that go bump in the night. Holding a Masters of Arts in teaching, she has spent the last 16 years using storytelling and the arts to teach science. Brittany’s interdisciplinary, experiential approach, combined with her boundless curiosity and love of biology, has made her a cherished educator. Her course “How Nature Works” at ASU is often cited as a favorite among students. In collaboration with fellow staff at Biomimicry 3.8, Brittany’s research and storytelling skills supported a series of 6 micro-museums featured in the World Expo in Dubai. Considering herself a “connector of silos” Brittany currently inspires action with the change-makers of today’s global economy, working with clients such as Microsoft and Jacobs Engineering. Brittany is a biologist, storyteller, and educator for Biomimicry 3.8, holds a M.Sc. in Biomimicry from ASU, and is a Certified Biomimicry Professional. 

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Chris Montero | Chris Montero is a traveling naturalist. His enthusiasm for nature began with a large focus on reptiles, but eventually expanded to other organisms such as insects, birds, mammals, and plants. He did most of his biology, ecology, and zoology studies in his native Costa Rica at the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Universidad Estatal a Distancia, then completed his education at The Evergreen State College in Washington State. Professionally, he has an “amphibian” career in natural sciences and art, which has allowed him to work as an illustrator, nature guide, trip leader, and educator.  He had the privilege of working as a nature guide for the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica, a field instructor for the Sierra Institute in Belize and Guatemala. He worked as a Wildlife & Conservation trip leader for National Geographic Student Expeditions in Australia, Ecuador, Brazil, Belize, the Canadian Arctic and Botswana. Chris started his symbiotic relationship with Biomimcry 3.8 in 2005 as a consultant naturalist for our courses in Costa Rica, and joined as a full-time staff member in 2022. 

 

Convince your boss by downloading and sharing our PDF that outlines the professional benefits and values biomimicry immersion workshops can add to any organization. Download Convince Your Boss pdf here.

Learn more about immersion workshops here.

Questions? Email workshops@biomimicry.net

This was the best learning experience I have ever had in my career. It really helped me to identify how I can apply biomimicry thinking into my work and introduced me to fascinating people from across the world who shared the same reverence for the world around us.

— Jyoti Sehdev, Discover Nature's Genius Workshop Alumni | Corporate Responsibility Manager, England
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