Course Description
What if everyday products could come from renewable forests instead of fossil fuels? Explore how nature-based biomaterials improve our lives, reduce pollution, and support sustainable economies. Engage with real examples, hands-on activities, and career insights as we imagine and design the future using the natural resources around us.
Athena Title
Forest BioMat for Sust Future
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Students will define core concepts related to forest biomaterials and circular bioeconomy.
- Students will explain the importance of forest-based and sustainable biomaterials to human daily life, society and the environment.
- Students will evaluate the sustainability benefits of forest-based products using lifecycle thinking (e.g., carbon storage, renewability, recyclability).
- Students will identify career opportunities related to natural resources and sustainability.
- Students will communicate the value of forest and sustainable materials to a broad audience, with focused learning, evaluation and revision on how to communicate with clarity, organization, use of evidence-based literature, visual effectiveness, and the ability to communicate technical concepts to a broad audience.
- Students will compare competing material systems (e.g., forest products vs. concrete, plastics vs. bioproducts, “forever chemicals” tradeoffs) and evaluate benefits/limitations across applications such as shelter, insulation, transportation, and energy.
Topical Outline
- 1. Introduction and Course Overview
- 2. Made in the USA – Goods from the Woods
- 3. Forest and Sustainable Products & Shelter (Major construction types & their materials)
- 4. Forest and Sustainable Products & Shelter (Biophilic design, Health and Wellbeing)
- 5. Mass Timber Arena (Video & Case Study)
- 6. Sustainability Campus Tour
- 7. Forest and Sustainable Products & 3D Printing (a)
- 8. Forest and Sustainable Products & 3D Printing (b)
- 9. Forest and Sustainable Products & Insulation
- 10. Student lead presentation #1—How will we live in 2050?
- 11. Forest and Sustainable Products VS Concrete
- 12. Forest and Sustainable Products & Papers
- 13. Forest and Sustainable Products & Food
- 14. Forest and Sustainable Products & Transportation
- 15. Forest and Sustainable Products & Agricultural Wastes
- 16. Forest and Sustainable Products & Clothing
- 17. Forest and Sustainable Products in Musical Instruments
- 18. Forest and Sustainable Products or Forever Chemicals
- 19. Students lead presentation #2--Your lenses of sustainability
- 20. FSP & Energy
- 21. Plastics Plastics Everywhere
- 22. What can we do with plastic pollution? Bioplastic and Bioproducts
- 23. From Green to Blue Economy: Opportunities for Sustainability
- 24. Mysterious Materials in FSP
- 25. Looking Toward Your Future: Careers in Forest and Sustainable Products
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
