The big societal challenges, such as climate change and public health, call for innovative approaches to address them. The contributors of this book present new ways to tackle these challenges by inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations in light weight engineering. They introduce a framework for transdisciplinary collaboration, explore the potential of light weight engineering in the areas of climate protection, resource efficiency, and sustainable mobility. To do so, they exemplify results and limitations of transdisciplinary collaboration based on three case studies: the optimization of rescue tools, the re-design of products to foster re-use and recycling processes in companies and society, and the additive manufacturing of individualized assistive tools and prostheses.

Ilona Horwath (Prof. Dr.rer.soc.oec.), born in 1977, is a sociologist employed as a junior professor for technology and diversity in engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universität Paderborn. Swetlana Schweizer (Dr.-Ing.), born in 1986, is a PhD researcher at Universität Paderborn working on the use of renewable materials in vehicle bodies. In her research work and as coordinator of the NRW Forschungskolleg 'Leicht-Effizient-Mobil', she is committed to the sustainable use of resources and materials.