Maria Law's creative mind shines through in everything she does.
From her work in biomedical engineering classes at the Schulich School of Engineering to her musicianship with Schulich Soundstage, she's always keen to try something new.
Law took that approach when she sat down to write "Future: Rev 1," a short story, for the Manufactured Ecosystems' Biomimetic Futures contest.
Schulich student Maria Law performs with Schulich Soundstage at the 2024 Dean's Reception. Photo Credit: Adrian Shellard, University of Calgary
Biomimetic technology, also known as biomimicry, refers to the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes. Essentially, it involves emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies to solve human problems. For example, the design of Velcro was inspired by the way burrs stick to animal fur, and some modern buildings mimic the cooling mechanisms of termite mounds.
Post-secondary students from across Canada were challenged to submit a piece of writing or artwork "envisioning a biomimetic technology capable of replacing an ecosystem service in the future."
Law says she wanted to shed light on the choices we are making right now in a "heavily industrialized and heavily corporated world" as well as how we express our humanity.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering student says she had a "moment of shock and disbelief" when told she had won the competition, which carries a $1,000 first prize.
"I was honoured and grateful as there is so much pain and hard work that goes into engineering that it's nice to occasionally get recognition and feel like you're doing something right," Law says. "It definitely made my day."
The competition was added to the Sustainable Systems Engineering course, ENGG 523 Bio-Inspired Design, this year.
A story about two possible futures - and a ticking clock
Law says she wanted to frame two futures in the short story: one that is bio-inspired and another that relies heavily on fossil fuels with all geometry and design choices made by cheap manufacturing principles.
It starts with the main character waking up from a dream where the world is beautiful with green and vibrant trees while the air is blue and cool.
She then again wakes up, this time to find a world where the trees and fields are gone, replaced by tall buildings, sky trains and "practical things that have a detrimental impact" on our future.
"As a biomedical engineering student originally, I've always been a strong advocate for designing for both beauty and functionality, similar to nature," Law says. "We are human, and I believe we can't abstract out all of the human or natural parts of a design until it is just functional without having some negative impact on our society or our future."
The story ends with the main character looking at a clock, only to realize it shows the estimated time before we deplete our global fossil fuels supply.
"I love the analytical mindset that engineering gives you," Law says. "I love stretching the bounds of how engineering is defined - from diving into design for human factors and biomimetic or aesthetic principles to exploring how things work in my hobbies and interests, such as music."
From engineering to writing and music
Law's writing isn't something you might expect out of an engineering student, but it's not surprising given her background and interests.
She says her chosen field isn't something that ran in her family; she had to figure it out herself.
The same holds true for music, which has become a major passion with her involvement with Schulich Soundstage, which she says has been the most significant and influential part of her university experience outside of academics.
"I think I've just always been driven to take whatever opportunities come my way to do something interesting, improve myself, or improve the status quo for others," Law says. "I've been very grateful for the opportunities I've had at the university to do something meaningful beyond my own studies."
As she gets ready for convocation in the spring and looks towards a career in design engineering in the medical field or potentially in acoustic engineering or audio electronics, she hopes sharing her journey will inspire others to try new things and do what makes you happy.
"Don't take everything so seriously," Law says. "Of course, go to and prioritize your classes, but there's so much more to university and if you're stressing about academics and putting them first, you will miss out on all the other amazing things that you can find at this point in your life."
She adds she would also love to see more students join Soundstage to meet new people and explore their creative minds.
The University of Calgary's multidisciplinary Engineering Solutions for Health: Biomedical Engineering research strategy drives innovations that are saving lives and revolutionizing health care for Canadians. With collaborative teams focused on human mobility, health monitoring, advanced biomedical imaging, precision biodiagnostics, regenerative medicine and novel medical technologies, our researchers are transforming quality of life and continuously improving the health system.
