News Brief: Drive the Chevy Volt
Chevrolet's new, extended-range electric car is making a special trip to Carnegie Mellon, and you're invited to ride or drive (must be 21 or older with a valid driver's license to drive) the Volt from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 11. Test drives and rides will depart from the Scaife Hall parking lot. (Participants should report to a check-in table in the Roberts Hall Atrium outside the Singleton Room.) Volt specialists and General Motors representatives will be on hand to answer any of your questions as you experience the future of automotive engineering.
Also on Friday, GM is hosting "Tech Talk" for students from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. in the Singleton Room in Roberts Engineering Hall. Lunch will be provided. The program includes an introduction by CMU Professor Ed Schlesinger, head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, and talks by Walt Dorfstatter, executive director, Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM), GM Research & Development, and David Brownlee, program validation engineer for the Chevrolet Volt.
Dorfstatter will address "Introducing the new GM — the reinvention of the company — how is it defined, the current state of the automotive industry, and a vision toward sustainability." Brownlee will discuss "Changing the game of automotive transportation: Introducing the Chevrolet Volt — engineering design elements and the interface to the customer."
Friday's test drives and lectures will follow the GM Foundation's presentation of a $70,000 scholarship grant to Carnegie Mellon to support the outstanding student research and studies at the university's top-ranked College of Engineering. The presentation will be made at the Pittsburgh Auto Show, Thursday, Feb. 10. Since 2000, the GM Foundation and Carnegie Mellon have collaborated on the next generation of automotive information technology via research under way at the Collaborative Lab, which taps the resources of the university's collaborative, problem-solving environment.
"Our support of Carnegie Mellon is guided by the belief that investment in science and technology education will help shape the automotive future and strengthen the nation's global competitiveness," Dorfstatter said. "Automotive companies are making great strides in developing and adopting new technologies and Carnegie Mellon's exceptional programs foster a new generation of talent that can significantly accelerate the pace of automotive innovation."