Clemson University recently launched the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, a program with undergraduates and graduate students and faculty dedicated to innovating the latest in automotive technology and design.
We sat down with the school's Founding Director, Dr. Zoran Filipi, to understand the structure of this school, what students are learning, and the fascinating ways Clemson is partnering with automotive OEMs on cutting-edge research and development.
Dr. Filipi is truly an expert and out-of-the-box thinker, and every automotive and engineering program will find great value in the strategies Clemson has deployed.
Inside this episode:
- The strategy behind combining mechanical and automotive engineering programs - and how students & employers benefit
- The incredible value of putting grad students through a full product cycle
- Partnering with automotive OEMs on product development
- Autonomous cars and EVs - the state of the market
- Advice to automotive programs about how to innovate and evolve
3 Big Takeaways from this episode:
- The new school combines the strengths of both programs: Mechanical + Automotive engineering in one school enables students to apply the knowledge they're learning in mechanical engineering and put it to work in automotive applications. Students (both undergraduate and graduate) will be prepared for the rapidly evolving automotive industry, including the shift towards electric vehicles.
- Deep Orange puts students through a two-year complete product development process: From market study to product design, ideation and prototyping, graduate students build full prototypes of futuristic vehicles - both EV and ICE. Better yet, these projects are done in partnership with automotive OEMs, helping to bring new technologies and designs to market.
- Autonomous vehicles are on the way, but expect electrification to come first: Autonomous vehicle technology has made great progress, but we're still far away from seeing fully autonomous cars on our everyday commute. However, electrification is at full-scale production levels, including incentives to bring the manufacturing of EVs, batteries and charging stations here in the U.S.
Resources
To learn more about Clemson's new school, visit: https://news.clemson.edu/clemson-university-forms-new-school-as-globe-switches-to-electric-vehicles/
Connect with Clemson University Automotive Engineering:
Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
Episode page: https://techedpodcast.com/clemson/
We want to hear from you! Send us a text.
Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Kirchner (00:08):
Welcome to the tech ed podcast where we visit
with leaders who are shaping,innovating and disrupting
technical education. People whoare not afraid to think
differently, not afraid to trysomething new, all with the goal
of securing the American Dreamfor the next generation of STEM
and workforce talent. Welcomeback to this week's episode of
(00:29):
The Tech Ed podcast. If youlisten often, you know that we
love talking about advancingtechnologies we love talking
about in the automotive sector,electric vehicles, hydrogen
vehicles, we love talking aboutautonomous vehicles. You also
know that we talk a lot aboutconvergences that are taking
place in areas like advancedmanufacturing and other
(00:50):
technologies. Convergence islike the convergence between
information technology andoperations technology. We call
it the it ot convergence. Wetalk in some cases about the
convergence between art andmanufacturing and how there's so
many commonalities in thoseworlds. Today, we're going to
talk a little bit about anotherconvergence. This is the
(01:10):
convergence between advancingautomotive technology and
mechanical engineering. This isgoing to be an absolutely
fascinating discussion. I'vebeen looking forward to it for
some time. Our guest on thisepisode of The Tech Ed podcast
is Dr. Zoran Phillippi. Dr.
Filipi is the founding directorof the School of Mechanical and
automotive engineering atClemson University. Dr. Filipi,
(01:32):
thank you so much for joining uson the tech ed podcast.
Zoran Filipi (01:36):
My pleasure. It's great to be with you. And I look
forward to this conversation.
Matt Kirchner (01:41):
So we look forward to it as well. You've
been working in the hybrid andalternative powertrain and
cutting edge mobility field forquite some time. I would love to
hear a little bit of an overviewas we started out of your
career, some of your researchinterests and in how you got to
be where you are in this greatrole at Clemson.
Zoran Filipi (01:57):
Yeah, so it's been more years than I care to admit,
I guess. And I was always drivenby this passion for vehicles and
powertrains, especially early onIC engines. And the energy kind
of you know, came from thedesire to change the world
change the world for the better.
Right. So I started with ICengine research and my PhD
(02:20):
involved some modeling of thecombustion process to eventually
create a predictive tool tostudy a system issue. turbo
charging and downsizing for fueleconomy. Great. This was long
time ago, this was long timeago. But I think there is a
constant from those early daysall the way to today, which is
(02:41):
basically to go fromfundamentals. In this case, its
fundamentals of energyconversion or storage, all the
way to the system level, to showhow would you make these
technologies reality at someone, how to enable them. But
number two, you know, reallycritical? What is going to be
the ultimate potential? Is thisworthwhile is this going to
(03:03):
change the world for the better?
What I learned over time, too,is that there is a long path
from that early research anddiscoveries to technology. In
fact, often it's about 20 years.
This is the role of theuniversity basically make
discoveries and search for thesenew pathways to technologies
that will change the world forthe better. So more than 20
(03:24):
years ago, this desire. And itsknock again to combine the
fundamentals and the systemlevel led me into the hybrid
electric propulsion area. Andthis guidance has been very to
me enriching and invigorating,because I ventured into the new
realm kind of was an opportunityto learn new things with my
(03:45):
students to meet some of the newfaculty. And honestly, you know,
to create some of thoseopportunities, opportunities for
conversions, where on differentdisciplines kind of meet up work
together. And a constant hasbeen, you know, developed these
predictive modeling simulationtools that allow you to explore
this vast space that leads tonew technologies. So check
(04:07):
verify some of the new ideas waybefore they are a reality way
before any hardware becomesavailable.
Matt Kirchner (04:17):
Sure, that makes so much sense. And it really
when you think about it, youknow, disproving a theory is
almost as important as provingone right? Because if we're
going to invest all this timeand energy and, and capital in a
new technology and bringing thatto market and way that's way too
late to realize that that thattechnology didn't work. So it
sounds like a lot of this workis really around conceptual
(04:37):
ideas, and then figuring outwhat might be commercially
effective down the road. Youknow, I worked with a gentleman
for a long time, who was aprolific business and real
estate investor and one of hisfavorite lines was the money you
make is in the deals you don'tdo. And so it was really, really
important to do that, thatresearch on the front end. So as
we moved from some of the topicsof our research, I tell us a
(04:59):
little bit about the schoolMechanical and automotive
engineering and how yourresearch work has led you to
say, Hey, we should converge theworld of mechanical and
automotive in that type ofcollaboration as well.
Zoran Filipi (05:09):
The idea for the school is basically to combine
two departments with differentstrengths, right? So very
complementary, to createsomething new that will
invigorate the unit, you know,that will invigorate faculty in
both departments, when it comesto research research
opportunities, as well as enableus to develop a new
(05:30):
undergraduate program and youwill be AAS degree in automotive
engineering. You know, once wementioned, if we just mentioned
the automation, right? Therevolution really taking place
in both manufacturing and on thevehicle side, it becomes clear
that you know, modern vehiclestechnologies like that are
(05:50):
manufacturing are not only aboutmechanical engineering. As a
mechanical engineer, I've heardyou know, I have to admit that
right. So we've been preparing,you know, we have been preparing
and we have been part of thechange, you know, for years now,
on the COI car campus, ClemsonUniversity, International Center
for Automotive Research. Andthis is where we started the
(06:11):
pioneering program, graduateprogram in automotive
engineering. So until now, itwas masters and PhD program. The
whole idea is to prepare for thefuture and prepare the time for
the future. Well, you needmultiple disciplines, you need
skills, students or graduatesneed to acquire skills in
multiple disciplines, but alsolearn how to work with other
(06:33):
these people from otherdisciplines. And also have an
understanding of the systemcomplexities integration. And
basically, we that we preparefor the modern workplace be
really prepared on day one forwhat's waiting for them and what
the expectations are out therein the automotive industry. So
(06:53):
in the School of Mechanicalautomotive engineering, we are
looking to capitalize on thestrengths of the largest
department largest undergraduateprogram at Clemson in mechanical
engineering, and, of course,many pockets of excellence, many
strengths in individualdisciplines. And this forward
(07:14):
looking automotive engineeringmultidisciplinary program, which
has the pulse of the automotiveindustry and is very much
plugged into what is happeningnow the transformation that
already started, as well as thefuture what we anticipate what
we anticipate will be thefuture.
Matt Kirchner (07:31):
So when you're talking with students about
engaging in this newundergraduate degree, what are
some of the careers that enticethem. So if I'm if I'm going to
spend my four years at Clemson,and then I'm going on to a
career, swimming, I'm not goinginto graduate school, what are
some of those careers, what getsthe students really excited.
Zoran Filipi (07:47):
So what they can expect are basically courses as
well as some unique experiences,right. So what we have learned
over time, this is somethingvery important for us here at
Clemson. So students reallycrave these young folks really
crave opportunities to get theirhands on some hardware, right?
To be able to run some labs, forexample, themselves, just think
(08:10):
of yourself in the test cell,where there is this hybrid
electric powertrain and there isa battery system as well. And,
you know, one of the teammembers is working basically on
the thermal management, forexample, the battery system, but
somebody else is working on theoptimal control for the entire
entire propulsion system. Sojust imagine yourself as a
(08:32):
student coming in, and bringinga piece of software, uploading
and being able to see the effectof that, being able to see the
results in terms of performance,efficiency, all the key
attributes or the key attributesof the system. So what we are
going to offer thisundergraduate program are the
opportunities for the studentsseeking careers in automotive
(08:56):
industry and dreaming now notonly about America, mechanical
aspects of the vehicle, but alsothink about the software defined
vehicles, the context, right.
Think about electrification, andall the news that we have heard
lately, including here in SouthCarolina, the significant
significant acceleration of thistransformation. So the new Giga
(09:16):
factories are basically going topop up all over the country
very, very soon. And therefore,you know, the young generation
now has a different perceptionabout these future vehicles, but
is equally excited as I was whenI was a youngster, about the
prospect of working on theseexciting topics and these
exciting technologies when theygraduate.
Matt Kirchner (09:37):
Fascinating. So it's sounding like first of all
great hands on experiences inthe undergraduate program, which
to me is really, reallyimportant. And then to your
point, Dr. Filipi, just all ofthe different changes in the
automotive market that aretaking place in real time. And
you know, what, when I wascoming of age and going to
school and working inmanufacturing, the model was
(09:57):
really Yeah, it was Ford, GM andChrysler at least in the US, and
then you add all these tier oneand tier two suppliers and it to
that, you know, to that kind ofcentral automotive market. And
now we've got so many differentplayers, so many different
technologies, it's a great timeto be a student at Clemson
University, especially in theengineering disciplines, we're
going to enjoy watching thoseprograms roll out in the future
(10:20):
Zoran, and so really exciting tobe hearing about the great
things that are happening at theSchool of Mechanical and
automotive engineering. Clemsonalso has a unique approach to
graduate studies, we talkedquite a bit about undergraduate
but Graduate Studies called DeepOrange tell us a little bit
about Deep Orange.
Zoran Filipi (10:37):
exciting topic. So it's a real pleasure to talk
about deep orange. And this iswhere the credibility comes
from. When I talk about creatingopportunities for undergraduates
as well, you know, when we spokeabout the experiential learning
opportunities in the newprogram, or programs that we are
(10:59):
working on now, it comes reallyfor from what we have done with
the bridge. So early on, youknow, when the automotive
engineering program started,it's less than 15 years ago, the
curriculum was developed basedon a lot of input from the
industry. And this basicallytold us that, you know, the
(11:21):
students need to have strengthsin some of the fundamental
disciplines. But on top of that,understanding of the vehicle is
a complex system, systemintegration, and how to work in
teams to coordinate eventuallycome up with a successful
product in the marketplace. Andguess what, there was no
textbook for that. So it wasinvented, here at Clemson, Dr.
(11:49):
Paul want to call and set thetime was truly a pioneer, with
the idea to create a simulatedresearch and development
environments laboratory oncampus, and take students
through a complete productdevelopment process in two
years. Sure. So if you thinkabout it, try to imagine
yourself as students, I canimagine I die with all these
(12:11):
ideas and desire, you know, tolearn about the vehicle about
vehicle dynamics, aboutelectrification and propulsion,
about software about theautomation, right. And then we
put you in the classroom. Andyou have to sit through the
lectures and study and study.
And you have to do that, okay,you have to do that. But imagine
a chance to almost like in thesecond week, after studying,
(12:35):
beginning with your team, amarket study, to understand your
future customers. And based onthat right side, what should be
these critical attributes, soyour vehicle, so that you can,
after that really begin workingon a design ideation go through
the stages of the concept designand layout, development,
(12:59):
architecture, finally startingto design components,
subsystems, right? Completevehicle in the last six months,
this program culminates inbuilding a physical prototype.
Matt Kirchner (13:10):
Wow. That's gotta be I mean, that's just an
amazing experience to have, asyou're considering, you know,
your career pathway. And just todraw another parallel, one of
the things we hear so frequentlyfrom manufacturers, as they're
hiring, you know, bachelor'sdegrees engineers, or even
graduate engineers, we hearoften, hey, you know, they're
really good with the math,they're really good with the
computer science. Theyunderstand physics, they
(13:32):
understand calculus, but youknow, it takes us a while to get
them to the point where theyactually understand system
integration where they'recomfortable in that case on the
manufacturing floor. And itsounds like just to draw a
parallel in the automotiveindustry, if I'm going to be
developing designing automotivecomponents, automotive features,
you know, entire entireautomobiles, having that two
(13:52):
year experience of going startto finish from ideation to
testing and trial and error infinishing with a prototype
really mirrors exactly whatthose students are going to see,
when they get to industry, I'vegot to believe the feedback you
get from the employers is quitepositive in terms of what
they're able to do when theybegin their careers.
Zoran Filipi (14:11):
feedback has been amazing from the employers, the
students get snatched upimmediately after they graduate
or actually, before theygraduate, you know, they get a
chance to learn by doing, theyalso have a chance during the
two years here in the program tointeract directly with technical
(14:32):
managers from the industry. So,what we have at this point, we
have been discovered by all themajor OEMs for each one of these
projects. And we are now atnumber 15 already, right? So for
most of them, we had the majorOEM as a sponsor, right from BMW
to General Motors to fall toMazda to Honda for example. And
(14:55):
we have been discovered by allof these companies, so we do
have a healthy competition forlot of talent coming out of
these, these programs betweenthe likes of Honda or GM or
Ford, BMW here in SouthCarolina, so they have a, you
know, closest, I guess,insights, you know, through many
(15:18):
of the collaborations that wehave with them, Volvo or
Raytheon and Tesla. So, youknow, we have been updating and
modernizing changing ourcurriculum. In fact, the latest
is only two years old, right.
And students are absolutelyprepared, you know, for this new
world of automated vehicles, youknow, Software Defined vehicles,
as well as the manufacturingthat comes along with that. So
(15:40):
the manufacturing has beentransformed as well. And there
is a significant significant,basically content that they get,
you know, through the educationhere, related to artificial
intelligence, to the roboticsand automation.
Matt Kirchner (15:56):
So 15 courts have gone through this program, each
one of them partnering with aspecific OEM toward a solution
for commercial use to a lot ofthese a lot of these products,
and a lot of these solutionsfind their way to
commercialization andautomobiles,
Zoran Filipi (16:10):
challenge for OEMs, to basically test out some
of the ideas, some of the reallyout of the box thinking and
ideas over only a two yearperiod, for sure. So very, very
fast pace, and honestly. Much,much, much cheaper, right, then
it would be to do something likethat to do something, because
(16:31):
you know, but I think what'smost valuable, is also for more
years for our partners tointeract with students, you
know, many of these projectsthat basically, the task was
basically to come up with avehicle for Gen Z, right? So the
vehicle that might be in themarketplace in 2028, or 2035.
(16:51):
All right? And who would bebetter than the youngest people,
right? This young people likelyto try to imagine that future?
You know, instead of us?
Matt Kirchner (17:03):
Absolutely, yeah, taking the future consumer and
putting them in the position ofdoing the research and the
development now for a vehiclethat they may be driving in five
or 10 years,
Zoran Filipi (17:11):
I can highlight a couple of stories, okay, no, in
one case, it was a completelydifferent architecture of the
vehicle. This was basicallycompact vehicle, sure, compact
size, but with differentattributes compared to what was
in the market at that time.
Right? The entire architecture,architecture, and eventually,
even the styling of the vehiclewas something unusual. And about
(17:34):
three, four years, years later,a product came out of that
company, that particular OEM,and all of us here, you know,
and we were getting emails andtelephone calls from the
students, they would like, Irecognize this. Right? Wow, it's
awesome. You know, it's afantastic validation, you know,
what the students have done thestudents together, to go to the
(17:55):
faculty and other one, I caneven be more concrete and tell
you that couple of the projectshere, the orange projects,
basically anticipated this day,like were exactly where we are
today. The anticipation was, wehave to be prepared for this
transformation, and transitionfrom IC engines to
(18:15):
electrification. So the wholevehicle was conceived the
architecture of the vehicle is avery flexible platform. So that
the management can make adecision, you know, 30% of the
vehicles are going to have an ICengine and other 25 are going to
have a hybrid electricpropulsion, and the rest are
going to be fully electric. Andguess what, five years down the
(18:36):
road? They're going to beautonomous as well. Right? Oh,
so students were able to kind ofimagine all this, clutter that
and come up with real solutionsthat basically you can see in
the marketplace today, becauseyou know, the situation. And the
manufacturing, especially, thesestrategies for manufacturing are
(18:58):
very different for somethinglike BMW compared to Tesla,
right? Tesla can just focus on asingle architecture for electric
powertrain, while a large,large, you know, established
OEMs such as BMW has to thinkabout transition and how to do
it gradually how to be how to bevery, very flexible in this.
(19:18):
And, you know, this is somethingthat the students have been
working on here, alreadyanticipating the future.
Matt Kirchner (19:27):
And then getting to that future when they get
into the workplace. And again,whether it's working for an OEM,
whether it's working in a tierone or tier two supplier if it's
working in an ancillaryindustry, relative to the
automotive industry, huge,incredible opportunities taking
place at the School ofMechanical and automotive
engineering. It's going to bereally fun to watch that rollout
(19:47):
in the future. It's gonna bereally fun to watch what's
taking place at the graduatelevel at the research level as
you get into to newtechnologies. I read an article
not too long ago, Elon Musk, whoof course we all we all hear
about and almost on a day Reallybases had said that by 2030, you
won't be able to buy a car thatdoesn't have that isn't able to
(20:08):
drive itself a new car becausebasically, by 2030, we won't be
able to buy a new car that isn'tself driving. He said, we really
have all of the hardware, smartsensors and devices now on a
vehicle. It's just a question ofletting the software catch up
with that, is that where you seeit? I mean, it 10 years, will we
be all at least have the optionof a self driving vehicle and
not have to operate our vehiclesif we choose not too
Zoran Filipi (20:30):
bad to go too much in either direction? Right?
Definitely. And even today, youknow, we talk about software
defined vehicles, because it'ssuch an essential part of
eventually what you get as aconsumer. And the experience of
using that experience of usingthat vehicle, would I observe at
this point is actually a fasterpace of electrification, then
(20:53):
complete automation of vehicles?
Sure, it's significant progresshas been made and continues to
be made. A lot of the OEMs Ofcourse, you know, Tesla, in many
ways, leads the way at levelthree, right? So vehicle
autonomy, level three, where youhave the significant significant
driver eights, and basically,the vehicle can operate
(21:15):
autonomously. In the relativelycontrolled environment, meaning
or structured, let's put it thatway, meaning an interstate or a
freeway, but to go from that allthe way to level five. Right?
There is a big unknown therethat we introduced, which is the
human what what humans do otherhumans around, you know,
totally, right. Absolutely,wildly if you look at
(21:38):
electrification truly, you know,we are past the tipping point
right now, we are past that.
Okay, because the changeunderway now, he's not only in
the realm of research anddevelopment, this is now
industrial scale change that weobserve is maybe maybe on
comparable to the early years ofindustrialization, basically, in
(22:04):
US and around the globe. Okay,because, you know, instead of
some of those plants that werebuilt, you know, 3040 50 years
ago, where you go from steel tosome mechanical systems, you
know, for different applicationsnow, especially with that new
inflation Reduction Act, and,you know, the strong desire to
(22:26):
provide some subsidies, ifnecessary, you need be for
offshoring, to make sure that wehave, you know, on this
continent manufacturingcapabilities, you know, for
these technologies, and that wecan build reliable rebuy,
reliable supply chains. Now,almost every day, we hear about
(22:47):
new investment in a batteryplant, right? Like the
guidelines and everything elsethat goes along that goes along
with it, you know, so just herein the state of South Carolina
with the past three months,there are announcements for a
new battery plant that BMW plansto build its 1.7 billion
(23:07):
investment. Next week is goingto be envision plant providing
battery cells, basically, forbattery packs. So on the same
location right next to the BMWvehicle production plant,
there'll be complete productionfrom raw materials all the way
to electrified electrifiedpowertrain. Just last week, you
know, there was an announcementabout scouts. I don't know
(23:31):
whether you're a fan of offroading, you know? Sure, yeah. A
bit. If you're a fan of offroading, then you know the name,
you recognize the name. So Scoutelectric vehicles will be
manufactured here in SouthCarolina. And they approached
Clemson already basicallytelling us projections will call
for about 4000 new jobs, youknow, and jobs aren't going to
(23:55):
be engineering jobs. So youknow, right there, even more
motivation, you know, kind ofand more energy getting into the
education system.
Matt Kirchner (24:05):
Absolutely. It's such an exciting time. And so as
I'm hearing you the you know,autonomous vehicles may be fully
autonomous level five, maybe alittle bit further away
electrification and electricvehicles, obviously already
here, and it's just going tocontinue to proliferate is that
the prediction is going
Zoran Filipi (24:19):
to continue to proliferate, commitments are
made significant commitments,you know, and these projects
underway, basically mean that weare going to have here
domestically know, in USproduction of energy storage, as
well as complete, you know,supply chains, you know,
ecosystems growing, you know,around these plants. And that's
(24:39):
the only way to get to the goalof if not by 2030. But you know,
by 2035. In some of the states,all vehicles offered in the
market will have to beelectrified in some others.
There'll be a large, largepercentage of fully electrified
vehicles right. So what nowneeds to happen in the meantime,
(25:00):
And, you know, federalgovernment recognizes that as
well. That's my observation oninvestments in infrastructure.
So charging is the next youknow, sure. Until now it was
okay batteries, raw materials,raw materials, there is an
answer, by the way, thetechnology to recycle lithium,
for example, and other metals,cobalt nickel, that has been
(25:24):
just developed just recently,you know, until now, I was
wondering myself, you know,where is this going? How are we
going to come up? Yeah. Butrecycling is an obvious answer.
And right now Jesus existsalready. Right. Plant being
built as we speak, you know, forrecharging, though, right, so
large scale charginginfrastructure. That's our next
(25:46):
challenge, I believe.
Matt Kirchner (25:47):
Absolutely. Well, you know, it raises a couple
questions, one of which is justour reliance on, you know,
offshore sources of preciousmetals. And, and certainly, you
mentioned, you know, lithium andcobalt, and so on. And so much
of that is produced in mind andin Asia, and in China,
particularly, these days reallydoes leave us a little bit at
the whims of the kind of thegeopolitical atmosphere, if we
(26:08):
are able to recycle those metalsdomestically, and probably find
new sources of them in theUnited States as well, that that
really starts to change theequation a little bit, you've
got such an amazing backgroundsare in so many different
experiences, so many initiativesthat you're you've led by, you
know, I can't let the podcastand without asking you a couple
more questions. The the secondto last of which is if I'm a
(26:31):
technical college dean, I'm apresident, if I am a University
Provost or I'm a programdirector, I'm I'm a professor,
and I'm really thinking abouthow do I increase the teaching
of hybrid and EV technology? Inmy automotive programs? What
advice would you have for thoseeducators in terms of how you
got started, and how they canget started based in particular
(26:54):
about all you've learned from,I'm sure plenty of trial and
error and success and maybe afew headaches along the way,
Zoran Filipi (26:59):
through through everything you've said, you
know, so much learned along theway, in different ways. But I
feel that we in academia,universities, technical,
technical colleges, as well, tobe entrepreneurial. Right, we
have to be responsive to themarket, as well, you know, and
(27:23):
the market is basically theemployment opportunities,
Matt Kirchner (27:26):
refreshing to hear you say that, by the way,
continue,
Zoran Filipi (27:28):
Oh, I feel that responsibility, you know, the
students come to us with highexpectations, you know, with
dreams, with dreams and ideas,and we have to fulfill those
expectations, you know, we needto provide high quality
education for them, andexperiences that so that's one
(27:51):
part of my answer, I think,experiential learning as well,
that will prepare them for thisbrave new world that will
prepare them, you know, and helpthem develop that mindset that,
you know, whatever we do, say,as engineers, has impact on the
society, and I guess, to answersome of those key questions,
right, has to address eitherchallenges that we have, or
(28:15):
maybe create something new, thatwill enhance our lives, you
know, provide something betterfor all of us. So from ability,
you know, to discoveries relatedto the medical side of things,
you know, by engineering andthings, things like that. We
want to work on things thatmatter, right, we want on things
that will make a very positiveimpact impact on the society. So
(28:36):
the answer to you is, we have tobasically recognize the
expectations the responsibilitywe have, and work hard to
understand the market, quote,unquote, which is, you know,
talking to these young people aswell, for sure, for sure. But
(28:57):
also keeping the pulse on theeconomy, the industry, whatever
might be the area where we areactive. You know, we talked a
lot about vehicles andpropulsion, but this applies to
all this applies to other areasas well. Different ways to do
that, you know, you do thatthrough partnerships,
collaborations, you organizeworkshops, some of the data,
(29:17):
obviously, is available from thegovernment as well. All of that
needs to drive our agenda. Andyou know, when we recognize
there is a change in the way, wehave to get ahead of that we
have to get ahead of that. No,because we are producing that
talent, you know, for the next10 years, or 20 years or three
years. And, you know, if newcourses are required, let's go
(29:39):
ahead and do it. Let's justroute what exactly is needed.
And let's work on that. That was
Matt Kirchner (29:44):
a very, very refreshing answer. And I think
that's going to resonate wellwith all of our educators. As
you know, at the Tech Edpodcast, we're all about people
who are disrupting technicaleducation, which in my mind
includes certainly the world ofengineering education and you're
a true disrupter Just listeningto the way that you think about
the work that you do. Zoran, Ihave one final question for you
(30:05):
before we end our time with you,which has just been a great
conversation. It's a question weasked in one form or another of
a number of our guests, probablyall of our guests at one point
in time. So if you could travelback in time, and you could meet
yourself when you were 15 yearsold, and you could give yourself
one piece of advice to that 15year old Zoran Filipi, what
(30:25):
would that advice be madly if
Zoran Filipi (30:27):
I think about a 15 year old Zoran Filipi with
dreams and ideas, and a desireand impatience, Okay, to start
working on that, to startworking on those dreams, you
know, to make them a reality. Myadvice would be to think about
(30:49):
what will be critical in youreducation. So the education of
16 year old to bring you to thatpoint, and look for
opportunities to talk to theprofessionals from that field.
To understand what does it taketo get there. So really, there
is no substitute for first kindof building that background in
(31:10):
the academic disciplines. makingthe right choices in school,
learning about what are thecareers that take you to where
you want to be that will allowyou to work on these exciting
new topics. And then after that,I think once you get to the
college level. After that,follow your passion for your
(31:30):
heart.
Matt Kirchner (31:31):
I love it. Zoran Filipi has been our guest here
on the tech ed podcast. He isthe founding director of the
School of Mechanical andAutomotive Engineering,
reflecting on that 15 year oldversion of you, as somebody who
dreams has desires and isimpatient. Something's telling
me that not much has changed inthat regard in terms of who you
are today, which is reallyrefreshing. I love your views
(31:53):
and your philosophies and highereducation on interdisciplinary
programs on followingtechnology. It's just been a
really fascinating and enjoyableconversations are in with you
and we thank you so much forjoining us.
Zoran Filipi (32:03):
Likewise. Thank you. I enjoyed it too.
Matt Kirchner (32:10):
Thanks for joining us for this episode of
The Tech Ed podcast. If youhaven't already, subscribe,
leave a review and if you likedthis episode, share it with a
friend. New episodes launchevery Tuesday. So listen in next
week.
Welcome to the tech ed podcast where we visit
with leaders who are shaping,innovating and disrupting
technical education. People whoare not afraid to think
differently, not afraid to trysomething new, all with the goal
of securing the American Dreamfor the next generation of STEM
and workforce talent. Welcomeback to this week's episode of
(00:29):
The Tech Ed podcast. If youlisten often, you know that we
love talking about advancingtechnologies we love talking
about in the automotive sector,electric vehicles, hydrogen
vehicles, we love talking aboutautonomous vehicles. You also
know that we talk a lot aboutconvergences that are taking
place in areas like advancedmanufacturing and other
(00:50):
technologies. Convergence islike the convergence between
information technology andoperations technology. We call
it the it ot convergence. Wetalk in some cases about the
convergence between art andmanufacturing and how there's so
many commonalities in thoseworlds. Today, we're going to
talk a little bit about anotherconvergence. This is the
(01:10):
convergence between advancingautomotive technology and
mechanical engineering. This isgoing to be an absolutely
fascinating discussion. I'vebeen looking forward to it for
some time. Our guest on thisepisode of The Tech Ed podcast
is Dr. Zoran Phillippi. Dr.
Filipi is the founding directorof the School of Mechanical and
automotive engineering atClemson University. Dr. Filipi,
(01:32):
thank you so much for joining uson the tech ed podcast.
Zoran Filipi (01:36):
My pleasure. It's great to be with you. And I look
forward to this conversation.
Matt Kirchner (01:41):
So we look forward to it as well. You've
been working in the hybrid andalternative powertrain and
cutting edge mobility field forquite some time. I would love to
hear a little bit of an overviewas we started out of your
career, some of your researchinterests and in how you got to
be where you are in this greatrole at Clemson.
Zoran Filipi (01:57):
Yeah, so it's been more years than I care to admit,
I guess. And I was always drivenby this passion for vehicles and
powertrains, especially early onIC engines. And the energy kind
of you know, came from thedesire to change the world
change the world for the better.
Right. So I started with ICengine research and my PhD
(02:20):
involved some modeling of thecombustion process to eventually
create a predictive tool tostudy a system issue. turbo
charging and downsizing for fueleconomy. Great. This was long
time ago, this was long timeago. But I think there is a
constant from those early daysall the way to today, which is
(02:41):
basically to go fromfundamentals. In this case, its
fundamentals of energyconversion or storage, all the
way to the system level, to showhow would you make these
technologies reality at someone, how to enable them. But
number two, you know, reallycritical? What is going to be
the ultimate potential? Is thisworthwhile is this going to
(03:03):
change the world for the better?
What I learned over time, too,is that there is a long path
from that early research anddiscoveries to technology. In
fact, often it's about 20 years.
This is the role of theuniversity basically make
discoveries and search for thesenew pathways to technologies
that will change the world forthe better. So more than 20
(03:24):
years ago, this desire. And itsknock again to combine the
fundamentals and the systemlevel led me into the hybrid
electric propulsion area. Andthis guidance has been very to
me enriching and invigorating,because I ventured into the new
realm kind of was an opportunityto learn new things with my
(03:45):
students to meet some of the newfaculty. And honestly, you know,
to create some of thoseopportunities, opportunities for
conversions, where on differentdisciplines kind of meet up work
together. And a constant hasbeen, you know, developed these
predictive modeling simulationtools that allow you to explore
this vast space that leads tonew technologies. So check
(04:07):
verify some of the new ideas waybefore they are a reality way
before any hardware becomesavailable.
Matt Kirchner (04:17):
Sure, that makes so much sense. And it really
when you think about it, youknow, disproving a theory is
almost as important as provingone right? Because if we're
going to invest all this timeand energy and, and capital in a
new technology and bringing thatto market and way that's way too
late to realize that that thattechnology didn't work. So it
sounds like a lot of this workis really around conceptual
(04:37):
ideas, and then figuring outwhat might be commercially
effective down the road. Youknow, I worked with a gentleman
for a long time, who was aprolific business and real
estate investor and one of hisfavorite lines was the money you
make is in the deals you don'tdo. And so it was really, really
important to do that, thatresearch on the front end. So as
we moved from some of the topicsof our research, I tell us a
(04:59):
little bit about the schoolMechanical and automotive
engineering and how yourresearch work has led you to
say, Hey, we should converge theworld of mechanical and
automotive in that type ofcollaboration as well.
Zoran Filipi (05:09):
The idea for the school is basically to combine
two departments with differentstrengths, right? So very
complementary, to createsomething new that will
invigorate the unit, you know,that will invigorate faculty in
both departments, when it comesto research research
opportunities, as well as enableus to develop a new
(05:30):
undergraduate program and youwill be AAS degree in automotive
engineering. You know, once wementioned, if we just mentioned
the automation, right? Therevolution really taking place
in both manufacturing and on thevehicle side, it becomes clear
that you know, modern vehiclestechnologies like that are
(05:50):
manufacturing are not only aboutmechanical engineering. As a
mechanical engineer, I've heardyou know, I have to admit that
right. So we've been preparing,you know, we have been preparing
and we have been part of thechange, you know, for years now,
on the COI car campus, ClemsonUniversity, International Center
for Automotive Research. Andthis is where we started the
(06:11):
pioneering program, graduateprogram in automotive
engineering. So until now, itwas masters and PhD program. The
whole idea is to prepare for thefuture and prepare the time for
the future. Well, you needmultiple disciplines, you need
skills, students or graduatesneed to acquire skills in
multiple disciplines, but alsolearn how to work with other
(06:33):
these people from otherdisciplines. And also have an
understanding of the systemcomplexities integration. And
basically, we that we preparefor the modern workplace be
really prepared on day one forwhat's waiting for them and what
the expectations are out therein the automotive industry. So
(06:53):
in the School of Mechanicalautomotive engineering, we are
looking to capitalize on thestrengths of the largest
department largest undergraduateprogram at Clemson in mechanical
engineering, and, of course,many pockets of excellence, many
strengths in individualdisciplines. And this forward
(07:14):
looking automotive engineeringmultidisciplinary program, which
has the pulse of the automotiveindustry and is very much
plugged into what is happeningnow the transformation that
already started, as well as thefuture what we anticipate what
we anticipate will be thefuture.
Matt Kirchner (07:31):
So when you're talking with students about
engaging in this newundergraduate degree, what are
some of the careers that enticethem. So if I'm if I'm going to
spend my four years at Clemson,and then I'm going on to a
career, swimming, I'm not goinginto graduate school, what are
some of those careers, what getsthe students really excited.
Zoran Filipi (07:47):
So what they can expect are basically courses as
well as some unique experiences,right. So what we have learned
over time, this is somethingvery important for us here at
Clemson. So students reallycrave these young folks really
crave opportunities to get theirhands on some hardware, right?
To be able to run some labs, forexample, themselves, just think
(08:10):
of yourself in the test cell,where there is this hybrid
electric powertrain and there isa battery system as well. And,
you know, one of the teammembers is working basically on
the thermal management, forexample, the battery system, but
somebody else is working on theoptimal control for the entire
entire propulsion system. Sojust imagine yourself as a
(08:32):
student coming in, and bringinga piece of software, uploading
and being able to see the effectof that, being able to see the
results in terms of performance,efficiency, all the key
attributes or the key attributesof the system. So what we are
going to offer thisundergraduate program are the
opportunities for the studentsseeking careers in automotive
(08:56):
industry and dreaming now notonly about America, mechanical
aspects of the vehicle, but alsothink about the software defined
vehicles, the context, right.
Think about electrification, andall the news that we have heard
lately, including here in SouthCarolina, the significant
significant acceleration of thistransformation. So the new Giga
(09:16):
factories are basically going topop up all over the country
very, very soon. And therefore,you know, the young generation
now has a different perceptionabout these future vehicles, but
is equally excited as I was whenI was a youngster, about the
prospect of working on theseexciting topics and these
exciting technologies when theygraduate.
Matt Kirchner (09:37):
Fascinating. So it's sounding like first of all
great hands on experiences inthe undergraduate program, which
to me is really, reallyimportant. And then to your
point, Dr. Filipi, just all ofthe different changes in the
automotive market that aretaking place in real time. And
you know, what, when I wascoming of age and going to
school and working inmanufacturing, the model was
(09:57):
really Yeah, it was Ford, GM andChrysler at least in the US, and
then you add all these tier oneand tier two suppliers and it to
that, you know, to that kind ofcentral automotive market. And
now we've got so many differentplayers, so many different
technologies, it's a great timeto be a student at Clemson
University, especially in theengineering disciplines, we're
going to enjoy watching thoseprograms roll out in the future
(10:20):
Zoran, and so really exciting tobe hearing about the great
things that are happening at theSchool of Mechanical and
automotive engineering. Clemsonalso has a unique approach to
graduate studies, we talkedquite a bit about undergraduate
but Graduate Studies called DeepOrange tell us a little bit
about Deep Orange.
Zoran Filipi (10:37):
exciting topic. So it's a real pleasure to talk
about deep orange. And this iswhere the credibility comes
from. When I talk about creatingopportunities for undergraduates
as well, you know, when we spokeabout the experiential learning
opportunities in the newprogram, or programs that we are
(10:59):
working on now, it comes reallyfor from what we have done with
the bridge. So early on, youknow, when the automotive
engineering program started,it's less than 15 years ago, the
curriculum was developed basedon a lot of input from the
industry. And this basicallytold us that, you know, the
(11:21):
students need to have strengthsin some of the fundamental
disciplines. But on top of that,understanding of the vehicle is
a complex system, systemintegration, and how to work in
teams to coordinate eventuallycome up with a successful
product in the marketplace. Andguess what, there was no
textbook for that. So it wasinvented, here at Clemson, Dr.
(11:49):
Paul want to call and set thetime was truly a pioneer, with
the idea to create a simulatedresearch and development
environments laboratory oncampus, and take students
through a complete productdevelopment process in two
years. Sure. So if you thinkabout it, try to imagine
yourself as students, I canimagine I die with all these
(12:11):
ideas and desire, you know, tolearn about the vehicle about
vehicle dynamics, aboutelectrification and propulsion,
about software about theautomation, right. And then we
put you in the classroom. Andyou have to sit through the
lectures and study and study.
And you have to do that, okay,you have to do that. But imagine
a chance to almost like in thesecond week, after studying,
(12:35):
beginning with your team, amarket study, to understand your
future customers. And based onthat right side, what should be
these critical attributes, soyour vehicle, so that you can,
after that really begin workingon a design ideation go through
the stages of the concept designand layout, development,
(12:59):
architecture, finally startingto design components,
subsystems, right? Completevehicle in the last six months,
this program culminates inbuilding a physical prototype.
Matt Kirchner (13:10):
Wow. That's gotta be I mean, that's just an
amazing experience to have, asyou're considering, you know,
your career pathway. And just todraw another parallel, one of
the things we hear so frequentlyfrom manufacturers, as they're
hiring, you know, bachelor'sdegrees engineers, or even
graduate engineers, we hearoften, hey, you know, they're
really good with the math,they're really good with the
computer science. Theyunderstand physics, they
(13:32):
understand calculus, but youknow, it takes us a while to get
them to the point where theyactually understand system
integration where they'recomfortable in that case on the
manufacturing floor. And itsounds like just to draw a
parallel in the automotiveindustry, if I'm going to be
developing designing automotivecomponents, automotive features,
you know, entire entireautomobiles, having that two
(13:52):
year experience of going startto finish from ideation to
testing and trial and error infinishing with a prototype
really mirrors exactly whatthose students are going to see,
when they get to industry, I'vegot to believe the feedback you
get from the employers is quitepositive in terms of what
they're able to do when theybegin their careers.
Zoran Filipi (14:11):
feedback has been amazing from the employers, the
students get snatched upimmediately after they graduate
or actually, before theygraduate, you know, they get a
chance to learn by doing, theyalso have a chance during the
two years here in the program tointeract directly with technical
(14:32):
managers from the industry. So,what we have at this point, we
have been discovered by all themajor OEMs for each one of these
projects. And we are now atnumber 15 already, right? So for
most of them, we had the majorOEM as a sponsor, right from BMW
to General Motors to fall toMazda to Honda for example. And
(14:55):
we have been discovered by allof these companies, so we do
have a healthy competition forlot of talent coming out of
these, these programs betweenthe likes of Honda or GM or
Ford, BMW here in SouthCarolina, so they have a, you
know, closest, I guess,insights, you know, through many
(15:18):
of the collaborations that wehave with them, Volvo or
Raytheon and Tesla. So, youknow, we have been updating and
modernizing changing ourcurriculum. In fact, the latest
is only two years old, right.
And students are absolutelyprepared, you know, for this new
world of automated vehicles, youknow, Software Defined vehicles,
as well as the manufacturingthat comes along with that. So
(15:40):
the manufacturing has beentransformed as well. And there
is a significant significant,basically content that they get,
you know, through the educationhere, related to artificial
intelligence, to the roboticsand automation.
Matt Kirchner (15:56):
So 15 courts have gone through this program, each
one of them partnering with aspecific OEM toward a solution
for commercial use to a lot ofthese a lot of these products,
and a lot of these solutionsfind their way to
commercialization andautomobiles,
Zoran Filipi (16:10):
challenge for OEMs, to basically test out some
of the ideas, some of the reallyout of the box thinking and
ideas over only a two yearperiod, for sure. So very, very
fast pace, and honestly. Much,much, much cheaper, right, then
it would be to do something likethat to do something, because
(16:31):
you know, but I think what'smost valuable, is also for more
years for our partners tointeract with students, you
know, many of these projectsthat basically, the task was
basically to come up with avehicle for Gen Z, right? So the
vehicle that might be in themarketplace in 2028, or 2035.
(16:51):
All right? And who would bebetter than the youngest people,
right? This young people likelyto try to imagine that future?
You know, instead of us?
Matt Kirchner (17:03):
Absolutely, yeah, taking the future consumer and
putting them in the position ofdoing the research and the
development now for a vehiclethat they may be driving in five
or 10 years,
Zoran Filipi (17:11):
I can highlight a couple of stories, okay, no, in
one case, it was a completelydifferent architecture of the
vehicle. This was basicallycompact vehicle, sure, compact
size, but with differentattributes compared to what was
in the market at that time.
Right? The entire architecture,architecture, and eventually,
even the styling of the vehiclewas something unusual. And about
(17:34):
three, four years, years later,a product came out of that
company, that particular OEM,and all of us here, you know,
and we were getting emails andtelephone calls from the
students, they would like, Irecognize this. Right? Wow, it's
awesome. You know, it's afantastic validation, you know,
what the students have done thestudents together, to go to the
(17:55):
faculty and other one, I caneven be more concrete and tell
you that couple of the projectshere, the orange projects,
basically anticipated this day,like were exactly where we are
today. The anticipation was, wehave to be prepared for this
transformation, and transitionfrom IC engines to
(18:15):
electrification. So the wholevehicle was conceived the
architecture of the vehicle is avery flexible platform. So that
the management can make adecision, you know, 30% of the
vehicles are going to have an ICengine and other 25 are going to
have a hybrid electricpropulsion, and the rest are
going to be fully electric. Andguess what, five years down the
(18:36):
road? They're going to beautonomous as well. Right? Oh,
so students were able to kind ofimagine all this, clutter that
and come up with real solutionsthat basically you can see in
the marketplace today, becauseyou know, the situation. And the
manufacturing, especially, thesestrategies for manufacturing are
(18:58):
very different for somethinglike BMW compared to Tesla,
right? Tesla can just focus on asingle architecture for electric
powertrain, while a large,large, you know, established
OEMs such as BMW has to thinkabout transition and how to do
it gradually how to be how to bevery, very flexible in this.
(19:18):
And, you know, this is somethingthat the students have been
working on here, alreadyanticipating the future.
Matt Kirchner (19:27):
And then getting to that future when they get
into the workplace. And again,whether it's working for an OEM,
whether it's working in a tierone or tier two supplier if it's
working in an ancillaryindustry, relative to the
automotive industry, huge,incredible opportunities taking
place at the School ofMechanical and automotive
engineering. It's going to bereally fun to watch that rollout
(19:47):
in the future. It's gonna bereally fun to watch what's
taking place at the graduatelevel at the research level as
you get into to newtechnologies. I read an article
not too long ago, Elon Musk, whoof course we all we all hear
about and almost on a day Reallybases had said that by 2030, you
won't be able to buy a car thatdoesn't have that isn't able to
(20:08):
drive itself a new car becausebasically, by 2030, we won't be
able to buy a new car that isn'tself driving. He said, we really
have all of the hardware, smartsensors and devices now on a
vehicle. It's just a question ofletting the software catch up
with that, is that where you seeit? I mean, it 10 years, will we
be all at least have the optionof a self driving vehicle and
not have to operate our vehiclesif we choose not too
Zoran Filipi (20:30):
bad to go too much in either direction? Right?
Definitely. And even today, youknow, we talk about software
defined vehicles, because it'ssuch an essential part of
eventually what you get as aconsumer. And the experience of
using that experience of usingthat vehicle, would I observe at
this point is actually a fasterpace of electrification, then
(20:53):
complete automation of vehicles?
Sure, it's significant progresshas been made and continues to
be made. A lot of the OEMs Ofcourse, you know, Tesla, in many
ways, leads the way at levelthree, right? So vehicle
autonomy, level three, where youhave the significant significant
driver eights, and basically,the vehicle can operate
(21:15):
autonomously. In the relativelycontrolled environment, meaning
or structured, let's put it thatway, meaning an interstate or a
freeway, but to go from that allthe way to level five. Right?
There is a big unknown therethat we introduced, which is the
human what what humans do otherhumans around, you know,
totally, right. Absolutely,wildly if you look at
(21:38):
electrification truly, you know,we are past the tipping point
right now, we are past that.
Okay, because the changeunderway now, he's not only in
the realm of research anddevelopment, this is now
industrial scale change that weobserve is maybe maybe on
comparable to the early years ofindustrialization, basically, in
(22:04):
US and around the globe. Okay,because, you know, instead of
some of those plants that werebuilt, you know, 3040 50 years
ago, where you go from steel tosome mechanical systems, you
know, for different applicationsnow, especially with that new
inflation Reduction Act, and,you know, the strong desire to
(22:26):
provide some subsidies, ifnecessary, you need be for
offshoring, to make sure that wehave, you know, on this
continent manufacturingcapabilities, you know, for
these technologies, and that wecan build reliable rebuy,
reliable supply chains. Now,almost every day, we hear about
(22:47):
new investment in a batteryplant, right? Like the
guidelines and everything elsethat goes along that goes along
with it, you know, so just herein the state of South Carolina
with the past three months,there are announcements for a
new battery plant that BMW plansto build its 1.7 billion
(23:07):
investment. Next week is goingto be envision plant providing
battery cells, basically, forbattery packs. So on the same
location right next to the BMWvehicle production plant,
there'll be complete productionfrom raw materials all the way
to electrified electrifiedpowertrain. Just last week, you
know, there was an announcementabout scouts. I don't know
(23:31):
whether you're a fan of offroading, you know? Sure, yeah. A
bit. If you're a fan of offroading, then you know the name,
you recognize the name. So Scoutelectric vehicles will be
manufactured here in SouthCarolina. And they approached
Clemson already basicallytelling us projections will call
for about 4000 new jobs, youknow, and jobs aren't going to
(23:55):
be engineering jobs. So youknow, right there, even more
motivation, you know, kind ofand more energy getting into the
education system.
Matt Kirchner (24:05):
Absolutely. It's such an exciting time. And so as
I'm hearing you the you know,autonomous vehicles may be fully
autonomous level five, maybe alittle bit further away
electrification and electricvehicles, obviously already
here, and it's just going tocontinue to proliferate is that
the prediction is going
Zoran Filipi (24:19):
to continue to proliferate, commitments are
made significant commitments,you know, and these projects
underway, basically mean that weare going to have here
domestically know, in USproduction of energy storage, as
well as complete, you know,supply chains, you know,
ecosystems growing, you know,around these plants. And that's
(24:39):
the only way to get to the goalof if not by 2030. But you know,
by 2035. In some of the states,all vehicles offered in the
market will have to beelectrified in some others.
There'll be a large, largepercentage of fully electrified
vehicles right. So what nowneeds to happen in the meantime,
(25:00):
And, you know, federalgovernment recognizes that as
well. That's my observation oninvestments in infrastructure.
So charging is the next youknow, sure. Until now it was
okay batteries, raw materials,raw materials, there is an
answer, by the way, thetechnology to recycle lithium,
for example, and other metals,cobalt nickel, that has been
(25:24):
just developed just recently,you know, until now, I was
wondering myself, you know,where is this going? How are we
going to come up? Yeah. Butrecycling is an obvious answer.
And right now Jesus existsalready. Right. Plant being
built as we speak, you know, forrecharging, though, right, so
large scale charginginfrastructure. That's our next
(25:46):
challenge, I believe.
Matt Kirchner (25:47):
Absolutely. Well, you know, it raises a couple
questions, one of which is justour reliance on, you know,
offshore sources of preciousmetals. And, and certainly, you
mentioned, you know, lithium andcobalt, and so on. And so much
of that is produced in mind andin Asia, and in China,
particularly, these days reallydoes leave us a little bit at
the whims of the kind of thegeopolitical atmosphere, if we
(26:08):
are able to recycle those metalsdomestically, and probably find
new sources of them in theUnited States as well, that that
really starts to change theequation a little bit, you've
got such an amazing backgroundsare in so many different
experiences, so many initiativesthat you're you've led by, you
know, I can't let the podcastand without asking you a couple
more questions. The the secondto last of which is if I'm a
(26:31):
technical college dean, I'm apresident, if I am a University
Provost or I'm a programdirector, I'm I'm a professor,
and I'm really thinking abouthow do I increase the teaching
of hybrid and EV technology? Inmy automotive programs? What
advice would you have for thoseeducators in terms of how you
got started, and how they canget started based in particular
(26:54):
about all you've learned from,I'm sure plenty of trial and
error and success and maybe afew headaches along the way,
Zoran Filipi (26:59):
through through everything you've said, you
know, so much learned along theway, in different ways. But I
feel that we in academia,universities, technical,
technical colleges, as well, tobe entrepreneurial. Right, we
have to be responsive to themarket, as well, you know, and
(27:23):
the market is basically theemployment opportunities,
Matt Kirchner (27:26):
refreshing to hear you say that, by the way,
continue,
Zoran Filipi (27:28):
Oh, I feel that responsibility, you know, the
students come to us with highexpectations, you know, with
dreams, with dreams and ideas,and we have to fulfill those
expectations, you know, we needto provide high quality
education for them, andexperiences that so that's one
(27:51):
part of my answer, I think,experiential learning as well,
that will prepare them for thisbrave new world that will
prepare them, you know, and helpthem develop that mindset that,
you know, whatever we do, say,as engineers, has impact on the
society, and I guess, to answersome of those key questions,
right, has to address eitherchallenges that we have, or
(28:15):
maybe create something new, thatwill enhance our lives, you
know, provide something betterfor all of us. So from ability,
you know, to discoveries relatedto the medical side of things,
you know, by engineering andthings, things like that. We
want to work on things thatmatter, right, we want on things
that will make a very positiveimpact impact on the society. So
(28:36):
the answer to you is, we have tobasically recognize the
expectations the responsibilitywe have, and work hard to
understand the market, quote,unquote, which is, you know,
talking to these young people aswell, for sure, for sure. But
(28:57):
also keeping the pulse on theeconomy, the industry, whatever
might be the area where we areactive. You know, we talked a
lot about vehicles andpropulsion, but this applies to
all this applies to other areasas well. Different ways to do
that, you know, you do thatthrough partnerships,
collaborations, you organizeworkshops, some of the data,
(29:17):
obviously, is available from thegovernment as well. All of that
needs to drive our agenda. Andyou know, when we recognize
there is a change in the way, wehave to get ahead of that we
have to get ahead of that. No,because we are producing that
talent, you know, for the next10 years, or 20 years or three
years. And, you know, if newcourses are required, let's go
(29:39):
ahead and do it. Let's justroute what exactly is needed.
And let's work on that. That was
Matt Kirchner (29:44):
a very, very refreshing answer. And I think
that's going to resonate wellwith all of our educators. As
you know, at the Tech Edpodcast, we're all about people
who are disrupting technicaleducation, which in my mind
includes certainly the world ofengineering education and you're
a true disrupter Just listeningto the way that you think about
the work that you do. Zoran, Ihave one final question for you
(30:05):
before we end our time with you,which has just been a great
conversation. It's a question weasked in one form or another of
a number of our guests, probablyall of our guests at one point
in time. So if you could travelback in time, and you could meet
yourself when you were 15 yearsold, and you could give yourself
one piece of advice to that 15year old Zoran Filipi, what
(30:25):
would that advice be madly if
Zoran Filipi (30:27):
I think about a 15 year old Zoran Filipi with
dreams and ideas, and a desireand impatience, Okay, to start
working on that, to startworking on those dreams, you
know, to make them a reality. Myadvice would be to think about
(30:49):
what will be critical in youreducation. So the education of
16 year old to bring you to thatpoint, and look for
opportunities to talk to theprofessionals from that field.
To understand what does it taketo get there. So really, there
is no substitute for first kindof building that background in
(31:10):
the academic disciplines. makingthe right choices in school,
learning about what are thecareers that take you to where
you want to be that will allowyou to work on these exciting
new topics. And then after that,I think once you get to the
college level. After that,follow your passion for your
(31:30):
heart.
Matt Kirchner (31:31):
I love it. Zoran Filipi has been our guest here
on the tech ed podcast. He isthe founding director of the
School of Mechanical andAutomotive Engineering,
reflecting on that 15 year oldversion of you, as somebody who
dreams has desires and isimpatient. Something's telling
me that not much has changed inthat regard in terms of who you
are today, which is reallyrefreshing. I love your views
(31:53):
and your philosophies and highereducation on interdisciplinary
programs on followingtechnology. It's just been a
really fascinating and enjoyableconversations are in with you
and we thank you so much forjoining us.
Zoran Filipi (32:03):
Likewise. Thank you. I enjoyed it too.
Matt Kirchner (32:10):
Thanks for joining us for this episode of
The Tech Ed podcast. If youhaven't already, subscribe,
leave a review and if you likedthis episode, share it with a
friend. New episodes launchevery Tuesday. So listen in next
week.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!