{"688390":{"#nid":"688390","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Shaping a Sustainable Future","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESarah Goodman\u2019s work is at the heart of Georgia Tech\u2019s mission. As a lecturer in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, she works to equip future engineers with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed, one material at a time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a recipient of an Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation grant, Goodman received financial support to redesign MSE 2001 Principles and Applications of Engineering Materials using the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\u0022\u003EUN Sustainable Development Goals\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese goals provide a blueprint for \u201cpeace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.\u201d They tackle challenges like improving health and wellbeing, building sustainable communities, and fostering social and ecological resilience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe Project\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Goodman, the course redesign was more than a short-term goal; it was a way for her to have a long-term impact on the world around her. Together with Lily Turaski, the course coordinator for MSE 2001, Goodman created assignments that challenged students to think critically about how the choices they make impact the planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe wanted to highlight sustainability in our course in a way that didn\u0027t silo it in one or two topics, but allowed us to touch on sustainability throughout the entire semester,\u0026nbsp;\u201d said Goodman. \u201cEvery engineer is going to be working with materials and of course they\u0027re going to be thinking \u2018Does this have the mechanical properties I want, and the electrical properties I want, and does the cost make sense?\u2019 But we also want to put sustainability and ethics into the front of everyone\u0027s mind as something that needs to be considered when you\u0027re doing a\u0026nbsp;material selection.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThanks to the grant, Goodman was able to hire three undergraduate students to assist with the course redesign over the summer: Syona Gupta, Swayam Trivedi, and Laura Mae Killingsworth. \u201cWe spent a lot of time brainstorming! The topic of sustainability is so broad and there are so many great examples. Having not only my ideas and Lily\u2019s ideas but also the ideas of three additional people on our team [helped us] think about what students would find interesting.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoodman noted that MSE 2001 can be formula heavy. By incorporating sustainability into the course, Goodman was able to create a personal connection that helped students become more excited about the work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDesign challenges were one of the ways Goodman brought sustainability to life for her students. One example involved asking the class to think about producing a cutting board for students. Because the designated audience was students, the materials needed to be inexpensive; however, Goodman also asked her class to avoid microplastics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing a tool called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ansys.com\/products\/materials\/granta-edupack\u0022\u003EGranta Ansys Edupack\u003C\/a\u003E, students were able to identify sustainability metrics \u2013 for example, how much water is used to produce a material, or what happens to the material at the end of its life \u2013 for all different materials, and incorporate that knowledge into their decision-making.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the summer, Goodman and her three student assistants conceptualized a \u201cSustainable Shark Tank\u201d project where students created a product proposal tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Goodman challenged her students to think about the human condition: the people working in plants making the materials. \u201cAre they being treated well? Where are we sourcing the material from, and are we taking into account the social and environmental factors involved?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese projects increased classroom engagement and discussion. \u201cI think a lot of students care very deeply about sustainability,\u201d said Goodman. \u201cFor a lot of people that\u2019s the reason they picked their major.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EDeveloping Global Leaders Who Improve the Human Condition\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGoodman\u2019s work embodies Tech\u2019s mission to develop leaders who improve the human condition. \u201cMaterials Science is a really intuitive place to incorporate sustainability because everything is made out of a material. Somebody made a decision to [choose that material], and that decision has ramifications for the user of the material, the people making the material, and the people who live in the place where the raw materials are sourced. Our decisions have a global impact.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn MSE, we have intentionally integrated sustainability into our core courses,\u201d said Associate Chair Mary Lynn Realff. \u201cProfessor Goodman has expanded our reach to students outside the Materials Science \u0026amp; Engineering major through MSE 2001. Georgia Tech students care about sustainability and Professor Goodman helps the students see how to integrate sustainability into their engineering solutions in thoughtful and meaningful ways.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGet Involved: Sustainable Development Goals in Action\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/universityglobalcoalition.org\/sdgactionweek\/\u0022\u003EUN SDG Action and Awareness Week\u003C\/a\u003E, higher education institutions promote awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and inspire faculty, staff, and students to further the goals on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoin Georgia Tech as we recognize SDG Week March 2nd-6th, 2026. The Center for Teaching and Learning offers two events related to sustainability education: a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=u5ghSHuuJUuLem1_Mvqgg0K1hAa8O0dMm7A08bkfHUFUMEc2QlA0TEpLQzBCOTlUWjZGVUUzVFg0SC4u\u0022\u003EClimate Teach-In\u003C\/a\u003E on March 3rd and a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=u5ghSHuuJUuLem1_Mvqgg0K1hAa8O0dMm7A08bkfHUFUMVE4QzdRSk9PME4wV01aRURRTVIzTzYzRy4u\u0022\u003Eworkshop on engaging students using real-world challenges\u003C\/a\u003E on March 5th.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Using Materials Science and Engineering to Improve the Human Condition"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs a lecturer in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sarah Goodman works to equip future engineers with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed, one material at a time.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dr. Sarah Goodman\u0027s work is at the heart of Georgia Tech\u0027s mission."}],"uid":"36601","created_gmt":"2026-02-19 18:13:26","changed_gmt":"2026-03-04 17:38:34","author":"bharris317","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679368":{"id":"679368","type":"image","title":"SarahGoodman.png","body":null,"created":"1771524814","gmt_created":"2026-02-19 18:13:34","changed":"1771524814","gmt_changed":"2026-02-19 18:13:34","alt":"Sarah Goodman\u0027s headshot","file":{"fid":"263518","name":"website-1000x1000--14-.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/19\/website-1000x1000--14-.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/19\/website-1000x1000--14-.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1312873,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/19\/website-1000x1000--14-.png?itok=ENsogP4V"}}},"media_ids":["679368"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/blog.ctl.gatech.edu\/2026\/02\/19\/shaping-a-sustainable-future-using-materials-science-and-engineering-to-improve-the-human-condition\/","title":"Read more about Goodman\u0027s work"}],"groups":[{"id":"1268","name":"Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)"},{"id":"660398","name":"Sustainability Hub"}],"categories":[{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"194911","name":"sustainability hub"},{"id":"182625","name":"UN SDGs"},{"id":"186845","name":"SDG"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:bethany.harris@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBethany Harris\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECenter for Teaching and Learning\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["bethany.harris@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}