Semiannual External Advisory Board meeting highlights CAR strategic partners
Held at CAR’s 930 Kinnear Road facilities, the core of the meeting included updates from CAR director Giorgio Rizzoni on research initiatives and recent accomplishments. Select staff also provided brief overviews on operations strategies, fiscal analysis, grants management and safety coordination. David B. Williams, dean of the College of Engineering, discussed investments in faculty across the college.
Strategic partners reviewed their interactions with the center and upcoming initiatives. Carla Bailo, Ohio State’s assistant vice president for mobility research and business development presented the Ohio Smart Mobility Initiative, while Mark-Tami Hotta, president and CEO of the Transportation Research Center, Inc. (TRC), provided news and updates from TRC. Meeting guests also heard from Annalies Corbin, president and CEO of new partner the PAST Foundation, which is committed to improving education by promoting transdiciplinary problem-based learning. PAST is located on Kinnear Road just down the street from CAR, and the two organizations aim to join forces to provide hands-on learning experiences for K-12 students and beyond. During the lunch break, guests were offered tours of the PAST laboratory facilities.
Rounding out the day’s activities was a panel discussion on Columbus: THE Smart City, featuring Carla Bailo; Joanna Pinkerton, co-director Honda-OSU Partnership; and Aparna Dial, deputy director of Department of Public Service, City of Columbus.