Plenary Session

Hear the TMS/ASM Distinguished Lecturer in Materials and Society at the MS&T24 Plenary Session.

Presentation Title: Saving the Planet through Sustainability-Informed Selection, Design and Discovery of Materials

In today’s world, when we think about saving the planet, we are likely thinking about reducing ‘carbon footprint’ and the negative effects of climate change. While these are important goals, within the field of materials science and engineering, we need to also think about what I will refer to here as the ‘chemical footprint’. This chemical footprint arises from the consumption of goods, which require the production of materials, which requires the use of resources such as minerals, energy, and water, and can lead to emissions of toxic substances into the air, water, and soil. Consequences of this chemical footprint include increased exposure to humans, leading to cancer and other diseases, and increased damage to our environment. As experts in materials science and engineering, it is imperative that we not only strive for enhanced materials performance, thereby enabling technological development, but also endeavor to purposefully reduce the negative consequences of materials selection, design, and discovery. This multi-attribute objective function requires that we simultaneously address performance, economics, chemical safety (toxicity), energy demand, and materials circularity (waste). A rapidly evolving suite of decision tools and databases, including the strategic application of artificial intelligence and machine learning, can facilitate these essential sustainability-informed decisions.

Julie M. Schoenung currently holds the title of Professor and Wofford Cain Chair III, in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), the Materials Research Society (MRS), ASM International, the American Ceramic Society, and the Alpha Sigma Mu Honor Society. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. in materials engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her B.S. in ceramic engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Schoenung conducts research into structure-processing-property mechanistic relationships with a current focus on high entropy ceramics and additive manufacturing of ceramics, composites, and metals, including the application of alternative feedstock materials generated from waste products. Schoenung is a pioneer in the field of sustainable development of materials with years of experience 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, policy, and sustainability standards.