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Volume 14
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10.3390/systems14030331
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Article

Investigating Systems Complexity with the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) Using Multiple Models: Introducing High School Students to Approaches in Mechanobiology

by
Amanda M. Cottone
1,*,
Zheng Bian
2,
Jianan Zhao
2,
Susan A. Yoon
2,
Talar Kaloustian
3,
Haowei Li
2 and
Rebecca G. Wells
1,4
1
The Center for Engineering MechanoBiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
2
Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
3
Department of English, Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19130, USA
4
Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Systems 2026, 14(3), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030331
Submission received: 31 December 2025 / Revised: 11 March 2026 / Accepted: 16 March 2026 / Published: 23 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Thinking in STEM Education: Pedagogies and Applications)
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Abstract

Understanding and developing habits in complex systems thinking using STEM-integrated perspectives is essential in addressing education and workforce needs in society. In this study, we investigated a learning intervention that incorporated multiple models designed to improve engineering students’ understanding of complex systems through investigating the mechanobiology of the Venus flytrap. Mechanobiology is a transdisciplinary field that integrates biology, engineering, chemistry, and physics to explore how cells and tissues sense and respond to forces in their environment. We used an exploratory, mixed-methods approach to examine the impact of this new curriculum on investigating flytrap closure and prey digestion. We then evaluated students’ understanding of complex systems characteristics (i.e., many interacting parts, decentralization, non-linear interactions, emergence, and adaptation) and in their ability to transfer these principles to other systems. Qualitative analyses demonstrate that students articulated key systems principles in relation to their understanding of flytrap mechanobiology, while descriptive summaries of pre- and post-surveys suggest broader conceptual gains. Furthermore, students demonstrated the transfer of systems thinking to other contexts and reported an enhanced understanding of real-world STEM research.
Keywords: complex systems thinking; multiple external representations (MERs); engineering education; agent-based modeling; STEM-integration; interdisciplinary STEM education complex systems thinking; multiple external representations (MERs); engineering education; agent-based modeling; STEM-integration; interdisciplinary STEM education

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MDPI and ACS Style

Cottone, A.M.; Bian, Z.; Zhao, J.; Yoon, S.A.; Kaloustian, T.; Li, H.; Wells, R.G. Investigating Systems Complexity with the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) Using Multiple Models: Introducing High School Students to Approaches in Mechanobiology. Systems 2026, 14, 331. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030331

AMA Style

Cottone AM, Bian Z, Zhao J, Yoon SA, Kaloustian T, Li H, Wells RG. Investigating Systems Complexity with the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) Using Multiple Models: Introducing High School Students to Approaches in Mechanobiology. Systems. 2026; 14(3):331. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030331

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cottone, Amanda M., Zheng Bian, Jianan Zhao, Susan A. Yoon, Talar Kaloustian, Haowei Li, and Rebecca G. Wells. 2026. "Investigating Systems Complexity with the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) Using Multiple Models: Introducing High School Students to Approaches in Mechanobiology" Systems 14, no. 3: 331. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030331

APA Style

Cottone, A. M., Bian, Z., Zhao, J., Yoon, S. A., Kaloustian, T., Li, H., & Wells, R. G. (2026). Investigating Systems Complexity with the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) Using Multiple Models: Introducing High School Students to Approaches in Mechanobiology. Systems, 14(3), 331. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14030331

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