Biological Technologies for Global Sustainability
Course Number: 1340163
General Elective Course (MALAG-accredited)
Open to undergraduate and graduate students from all faculties
No prerequisites required
🌱 About the Course
The world is facing a range of sustainability challenges—from water and food shortages to climate change and biodiversity loss. This course offers a unique perspective on how these challenges can be addressed using biological applications and nature-inspired technologies.
By combining up-to-date science, systems thinking, and fascinating case studies from academia and industry, the course demonstrates how biological mechanisms—from plants and microbes to biomimetic systems—can provide smart, efficient, and sustainable solutions for human society.
🎯 Course Objectives
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Explore the connection between global sustainability challenges and biotechnological solutions
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Expose students to diverse biological applications in the fields of environment, food, water, and health
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Inspire curiosity and foster interdisciplinary thinking among students from all backgrounds—no prior science knowledge required
📘 Selected Topics
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Introduction to sustainability: resource boundaries, development models, circular economy
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Microorganisms for water and wastewater treatment: affordable and efficient purification
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Genetically modified plants for drought and disease resistance: sustainable agriculture
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Cultivated meat and plant-based dairy: biotechnological food revolution
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Personalized medicine, stem cells, and biomedical engineering: innovative public health approaches
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Biomimicry: mimicking nature’s patterns in materials, structures, and energy solutions
👩🔬 Course Features
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Accessible and engaging in-person lectures
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Integration of current real-world case studies
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Guest lecturers from academia and industry
💡 Who Is This Course For?
Students from all scientific and engineering faculties who are interested in understanding how biological principles can be applied to solve sustainability challenges in environment, technology, and society.
📚 Counts as a general elective (MALAG-accredited), open to undergraduate and graduate students, with no prerequisites.
Instructor: Prof. Shimon Gepstein | Expert in Agricultural Biotechnology & Environmental Innovation
