Graduate Students Present Work at Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing

Avery Hartley, Dan Caudill, Gisele Guedes and Hamzah Zannoun presented projects they developed in their ME/MFS 599/699 Sustainable Manufacturing Projects course. 

During the conference, the students learned about cutting-edge research and the biggest challenges facing the sustainable manufacturing field today. 

“The most significant thing I learned at the conference was how other organizations investigate sustainable initiatives,” said Daniel Caudill, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “The United Nations has 17 sustainability goals, and several groups around the world are working to improve upon these problems. These goals often blend into each other in various ways. Seeing how solving one problem can improve multiple goals is fantastic to see.”

Fazleena Badurdeen, professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of Graduate Studies for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, hopes that by attending the conference, the students will be inspired to continue working in this area. “Unless more sustainable manufacturing practices are developed, the future of their generation will be at stake,” said Badurdeen.

The Sustainable Manufacturing Projects course helps students learn about the pivotal role sustainable manufacturing plays in creating value for all stakeholders. 

“We introduce the students to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in this course,” said Badurdeen. “By working on the projects related to these goals, the students learn how, as engineers and designers, they can influence the design and deployment of products, processes and systems that will not only make profits for companies but also help achieve the UNSDGs." 

Next year’s conference will be in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and students in the Spring 2023 course will attend and present. While the students who participated in the conference this year are all graduate students, undergraduate students can also enroll in this course and be chosen to attend based on their performance.

“Being able to present at an international conference is a huge milestone for me,” said Caudill. “I haven’t presented at a conference before, so the first time presenting to a group from around the world is exciting.”

The course is team-taught by Badurdeen, Professor I.S. Jawahir, Assistant Professor Julius Schoop, and Assistant Professor Edward Wang.

Their project work and part of travel were supported by funding received from Novelis Inc.