Dr. Thomas Kurfess, a former professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, will interview for the Director of the Manufacturing Research Center on March 3 and 4, 2011.  He will deliver his seminar, “A Great Place to Manufacture Products and It Does not Start in J, C, T, or EU!!!”, in a townhall gathering on March 3, 2011 at 11:00am in the MaRC Auditorium.

Dr. Kurfess’s seminar will present the importance of the automobile to the global society, and why one can still produce cars in the United States and make a profit. There are a multitude of research areas that are critical for vehicle development that directly affect society in major ways (e.g., safety, emissions and energy). From a technology perspective, the need for increased capabilities across the board is quite clear. The talk will end with the extending of the discussion from automotive manufacturing to general manufacturing and highlights the needs of society, the nation and the globe for next generation capabilities of both hardware/software and personnel related to production.

According to Dr. Kurfess, the automobile is a truly complex consumer product whose design and manufacturing is influenced by national and international policies. Over the last century, the design, manufacture and operation of the automobile have grown into complex system integration paradigms cutting across applications of traditional disciplines in physical sciences, engineering, social and behavioral sciences and business. For example, strict emissions regulations are driving research and development in advanced engine concepts running on conventional and alternative fuels and hybrid vehicular powertrains.