MechE Seminar Series

Strategic engineering design for economic, environmental, and social sustainability

Engineering design decisions have far-reaching effects for environmental, economic, and social sustainability considerations. In this talk, Professor Whitefoot will discuss methods of analyzing sustainability considerations of technology design decisions and policies using the transportation sector as a case in point. In the U.S., transportation is the largest emitting sector of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and reducing these emissions is critical for avoiding more extreme effects of climate change. As we consider technology and policy options that reduce GHG emissions, it is important to also consider the effects on users, workers, and the public at large. Professor Whitefoot will discuss recent studies in four areas that will drive future GHG reductions in trans- portation: passenger vehicle emission regulations, vehicle electrification, battery critical minerals supply, and vehicle lightweighting. She will highlight the technological improvements in electric vehicles that allow them to be more widely adopted. The effects of vehicle electrification on con-sumers and manufacturing workers will be discussed, identifying engineering design and manu-facturing conditions that would benefit these groups. Finally, she will discuss opportunities to re- duce aircraft and automotive GHG emissions by lightweighting parts via additive manufacturing.

Kate Whitefoot, Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy

Kate Whitefoot is an expert in multidisciplinary engineering and economics methods to inform technology development and policy to be more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. She is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She serves as associate editor of the Journal of Mechanical Design, a Fellow of Carnegie Mellon University’s Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, and a member of the NextManufacturing Center. Prior to her current position, she was a senior program officer and the Robert A. Pritzker Fellow at the National Academy of Engi- neering, where she directed the Academy’s Manufacturing, Design, and Innovation program. Her major awards include the NSF CAREER Award, ASME’s Design Automation Committee Young Investigator Award, and the Freeman and Nelson Award. Professor Whitefoot has gained recognition nationally and internationally for her research and teaching. Her work is featured in the Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and referenced in multiple regulations by the Environmen- tal Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation. She has worked with several Fortune 50 companies and has been invited to present briefings at the White House, Capitol Hill, the Department of Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency.