This online course provides a comprehensive understanding of environmentally responsible material selection, use, and reuse.

The engineering profession is increasingly shaped by the urgent need to mitigate environmental degradation, resource depletion, and climate instability. Traditional material choices in engineering, especially in sectors like civil, structural, and mechanical engineering, have long prioritized mechanical performance and economic cost over environmental consequences. This course addresses the environmental challenges associated with conventional materials, and explores emerging material systems that support sustainable infrastructure, such as thermoelectric converters, passive phase-change systems, biopolymers, and carbon-capturing concretes. In addition, the course introduces regulatory frameworks, lifecycle assessment (LCA) tools, and performance testing standards that ensure sustainability compliance in engineering practice.

This course is applicable to civil, structural, mechanical, and environmental engineers, as well as professionals who are interested in learning more about the lifecycle of engineering materials and how to addresses their environmental challenges.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the lifecycle environmental impacts of construction and engineering materials using embodied energy and carbon accounting
• Familiarity with the mechanical and durability performance of recycled and upcycled materials
• Apply circular economy principles, including modular design, disassembly, and reverse logistics, to material selection and systems design
• Understand the role of advanced materials in energy conversion, thermal management, and smart infrastructure
• Learn how to integrate sustainable material certifications, environmental product declarations (EPDs), and lifecycle assessment tools into engineering workflows