As part of a biomechanics course aimed at upper-division biology and physics majors, but applicable
to a range of student learning levels, this laboratory exercise provides an insight into the effect
of shape on hydrodynamic performance, as well an introduction to computer aided design (CAD) and 3D
printing. Students use hydrodynamic modeling software and simple CAD programs to design a shape with
the least amount of drag based on strategies gleaned from the study of natural forms. Students then
print the shapes using a 3D printer and test their shapes against their classmates in a friendly
competition. From this exercise, students gain a more intuitive sense of the challenges that
organisms face when moving through fluid environments, the physical phenomena involved in moving
through fluids at high Reynolds numbers and observe how and why certain morphologies, such as
streamlining, are common answers to the challenge of swimming at high speeds.