With Jeremy Faludi, another SEF Fellow, Amber helped design a biomimetic product for the building industry and documented the collaborative process involved. They identified several areas where the building industry had particular challenges (wasteful, consumptive, energy-intensive building systems or materials). Amber did extensive biological research to see if Nature could inform the building industry with better design solutions.

With Amber's prototype database, RMI aims to promote the full-fledged database, to gain exposure for and promote the biomimicry concept, and to market the idea to existing and potential corporate clients who might want to develop a better building product or system.

"This Fellowship definitely changed my life for the better. It introduced me to some truly amazing people and ideas. It helped me to develop my research skills, and taught me more about the complexities of managing large-scale projects. And it gave me the exhilarating feeling of being at the cutting edge of a new field. I haven't experienced that with any of my other research jobs, and it's a very empowering experience."

—Amber Kerr