CAR stakeholders engage in Smart Cities-themed External Advisory Board meeting

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The Center for Automotive Research’s (CAR) semiannual External Advisory Board meetings provide a platform to engage a variety of the center’s stakeholders—industry, government, organizations and higher education—to hold open dialogue about future direction of the center. The spring 2018 meeting, held Friday, April 6, brought together board members and key players focused on Central Ohio’s Smart Cities initiative 

 

The Ohio State University’s Smart Cities Relationship Director Courtney Falato outlined the Central Ohio Smart Cities’ vision—the reinvention of mobility—highlighting how the program’s diverse partnership has already paved the way for the implementation of Ohio’s first smart corridor.

 

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Danny Freudinger, President of Smart Campus Student Group

 

The newly developed Smart Campus Student Group, represented by Danny Freudiger, president, and Beth Snoke, group co-advisor and director of Ohio State’s Transportation and Traffic Management, presented an overview of the group’s mission and projects.*

 

Tying into the Smart Cities initiative is Ohio State’s energy management program. One year ago this month, the university entered into a public-private partnership to position itself as an international leader in sustainability and provide new resources to advance teaching, learning and research. This partnership allots the management of the university’s energy to Ohio State Energy Partners, a consortium of ENGIE North America and Axium Infrastructure. At CAR’s board meeting Serdar Tüfekçi, chief executive officer of ENGIE presented insights from the first year of the program. His updates included a discussion of how the Smart Cities initiative is already interacting with ENGIE North America and points for future collaboration.

                                                                 

 

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Yann Guezennec with CAR Director Giorgio Rizzoni

The meeting’s activities were complemented with the presentation of the Dwight Blaser Meritorious Award, presented annually to an individual whose sustained and extraordinary personal services have had a significant and lasting effect on the advancement of the center. This year’s recipient, Yann Guezennec, was recognized for a lifetime of service to CAR. From the early days of working to help develop the center, to his commitment to expansion of CAR research and distance education, and his continued involvement post-retirement, Guezennec, now a faculty emeritus of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has played an integral role in CAR’s past, present and future success.

 

 Additional highlights from the meeting included administrative updates in the State of the Center and the highly-anticipated annual student capstone project poster session. Insights and collaboration opportunities were also shared through short profile presentations of faculty, staff and students, highlighting the diverse research portfolio of the center, from several of the college’s departments: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,and Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering.

 

At the close of the day, College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams spoke with the group about the college’s commitment to expansion of research related to Smart Cities and beyond, and expressed gratitude for attendees’ continued impactful partnerships.

 

*The student group's additional co-advisor is Maryn Weimer, Senior Associate Director of CAR. 

 

Written by Holly Henley, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering