Approach to Sustainable Material Selection Balancing Trade-Offs with Ashby Charts

This paper explores the integration of Ashby charts into a Mechanics of Materials laboratory session to enhance systems thinking and promote sustainable material selection among undergraduate engineering students.The activity was designed around the Entrepreneurial Mindset principles of Curiosity, Connection, and Creating Value while leveraging resources from the Engineering for One Planet framework.Students engaged in a two-week project to evaluate construction materials for a structural element, balancing trade-offs between properties such as strength, density, stiffness, cost, and environmental impact.By creating Ashby charts, analyzing data, and making informed decisions, students practiced essential skills in data-driven decision-making and communication of engineering decisions.To assess the impact of the activity, pre-and post-project surveys measured students' awareness and proficiency across three dimensions: trade-off evaluation, informed decision-making, and communication.Results showed significant improvements in all dimensions, with students transitioning from minimal to moderate or high levels of competence.Qualitative reflections from student reports highlighted an understanding of the complexities of material selection, emphasizing the importance of balancing technical, economic, and environmental factors.The findings align with the entrepreneurial mindset framework by fostering holistic thinking and the ability to evaluate competing priorities.However, opportunities for improvement remain, including emphasizing explicit quantitative comparisons and enhancing the communication of the technical decisions.This paper concludes that integrating Ashby charts in engineering education effectively equips students with the skills to navigate complex sustainability challenges, supporting the development of future-ready engineers.