I/UCRC: Collaborative Research: A Decision Support e-Design Framework for Sustainable Product Design

The proposed research targets advancing the state of knowledge on rational design decisions in sustainable product design in order to enable a better understanding of the consequences of those decisions from an overall design perspective. The proposed research method will advance the current available capabilities for product and process design by integrating LCA into decision making for engineering design. The work intends to result in a novel decision method, and related decision support tools, for sustainable design. The methods and tools to be developed reflect the standards established in NISTs sustainability portal, and complement and enhance the capabilities of PLM tools. The outcomes of the proposed work have the potential to facilitate the design of more sustainable products that could significantly improve both the environment and the economy on a global scale. The work is supported by the Industry Advisory Board as well as individual industry members of the center and has the potential to extend the centers portfolio. The PIs plan to introduce the developed research methods in the graduate courses at UMass Amherst and the University at Buffalo SUNY as well as develop coordinated prototype educational tools to benefit the centers collaborators and industry partners.