Catalog Description

The overall goal of the class is to introduce the students to the properties and production, and

environmental implications, of common materials, including biobased, metals, plastics, ceramics, and

composites. The class will connect the structure and mechanical properties of these common

materials with the technology used for producing the materials, and also the processing of these

materials into useful items. In addition to the material properties, the environmental impacts, e.g.,

emissions of carbon, water, and pollutants, will be discussed. The concept of Life Cycle Analysis will

be introduced.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

•  Explain in detail how the properties of common materials, including biobased materials, metals,

• polymers, ceramics, and composites are related to their structure and manufacturing process

•  Explain the basic steps required for the processing of these common materials

•  Apply the basic tenets of sustainability to the production and performance of materials.

•  Explain the material life cycle and how tools such as Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) and industrial

• ecology are used to assess sustainability of materials

Course Structure

This course involves two hours of lecture, and one 3-hour laboratory session.

All course learning materials will be made available, and all assignments will be submitted through

the learning management system called Moodle. It is important that you gain familiarity with using

this online tool. Here is a link to “Learning with Moodle”:

https://moodle-projects.wolfware.ncsu.edu/course/view.php?id=226

Lecture mode of delivery: face-to-face.

Lab mode of delivery: face-to-face. Laboratory sessions will be varied and will include experiments,

quizzes/exams, problem sets, presentations, and group work. Some lab activities will involve pre-lab

videos; students are expected to watch the pre-lab video prior to the hands-on lab meeting.

Attendance will be checked and some quizzes will be administered via Top Hat. You will be receiving

from the instructor a Top-Hat-related email that contains instructions for signing up, joining your

course, and other useful resources.