Abstract

Sustainability can be defined as meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of tomorrow. But what does that mean in the world of materials science and engineering? One aspect is the development of materials that promote energy savings, and consequently reduce carbon footprint (global warming, climate change). But what is the materials footprint associated with these low energy-consuming technologies? In general, how do we minimize environmental and human health impacts due to material choices? This presentation will highlight several examples as a way to exemplify the challenges we face in developing sustainable technologies that also address sustainable materials development. These examples will include: metal additive manufacturing, lead-acid batteries, LED light bulbs, thin film solar cells, and handheld personal electronic devices. Issues associated with materials availability and recycling technologies, as well as the use of hazardous and toxic materials, in the product and / or production process will be described. Concluding remarks will highlight the need for a more holistic approach to sustainable materials selection and design, and the need for scientific and engineering advocacy in the development of government policies and regulations.

Biography

Julie M. Schoenung is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of California, Irvine. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in materials engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in ceramic engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Prof. Schoenung was recently selected to be the inaugural recipient of the 2017 Materials Science & Engineering-A Innovation in Research Award and the 2016 Acta Materialia Holloman Award for Materials & Society. She is an Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy and has served for many years as a Key Reader for Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A. Prof. Schoenung is a Fellow of Alpha Sigma Mu, the materials honor society, and a Fellow of ASM International. Prof. Schoenung’s research activities seek to provide fundamental insight into structure-processing-property mechanistic relationships in material systems for a variety of applications. Innovative synthesis and consolidation processes are combined to fabricate material systems that exhibit unique behavior, thereby providing new knowledge into the mechanisms that govern the observed behavior. Of particular interest has been mechanical behavior, including novel work on the nanoindentation and nanoscratch behavior in ceramics and nanocomposites. Additive manufacturing has also been a focal point in recent years. Microstructural characterization, including in-situ techniques, and modeling efforts are critical components of these fundamental investigations. Prof. Schoenung also has many years of experience in studying the materials-selection process in a variety of applications. She conducts research into the analysis of factors that guide the materials-selection decision-making process, such as economics, environmental impact and toxicity, cost-performance trade-offs, and market potential. Prof. Schoenung uses tools and datasets from several disciplines, including management theory, process economics, life cycle assessment, and environmental economics in her research approach.