Natural Gas Applications for Transportation: EngenuitySC’s Science Café with Alternative Fuel Innovator Dr. Zoran Filipi, Nov. 11, 2014

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014 ~

COLUMBIA, SC – Did you know using natural gas for transportation is the most cost-effective way to use domestic reserves, and yet, only 3% of energy for transportation comes from natural gas? Join the conversation when Dr. Zoran Filipi, the Timken SmartState® Endowed Chair for Automotive Design and Development, explains the importance of natural gas in the U.S.’s transportation industry and his award-winning research at EngenuitySC’s Science Café on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Speakeasy in Five Points in Columbia, S.C.

Dr. FIlipi is an innovator focused on alternative and advanced IC engine concepts, alternative fuels, hybrid powertrain systems and energy for transportation. His research addresses energy and climate concerns, like energy security and greenhouse gas emissions, and works toward achieving sustainable transportation systems through collaborations with industry, while maintaining strong relationships with relevant government agencies such as the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Filipi holds the Timken Endowed Chair for Automotive Design and Development within the SmartState® Center for Automotive Design and Development, one of four centers within CU-ICAR, Clemson University’s world-class automotive research campus. He has since launched new partnerships with major original equipment manufacturers, suppliers and an S.C. startup company, EcoDual Inc.

A Society of Automotive Engineers Fellow, Dr. Filipi is the recipient of the notable SAE Forest R. McFarland Award and the IMechE Donald Julius Groen Award. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the SAE Journal of Alternative Powertrains. He has previously held two research professorships at the University of Michigan: Mechanical Engineering Dept. and the Michigan Transportation Institute, and received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Belgrade in 1992.

His ongoing and recently completed work is supported by government and private industry, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, BMW-Powertrain, Borg Warner, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors, EcoDual and Bosch. Additionally, he has published more than 140 papers in international journals, refereed committee proceedings and holds three patents.

About Science Café

EngenuitySC hosts Science Café at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, featuring informal presentations by some of South Carolina’s top leaders in science and technology in a casual atmosphere. Guests enjoy networking and a cash bar with high quality beer, wine and cocktails at Speakeasy in Five Points, a comfortable, pub-style environment with couches and expert mixologists behind the bar. Patrons have the opportunity to discuss the latest knowledge economy topics with leading researchers in a relaxed environment that encourages questions, interruptions and discussion. For more information and to register for free admission (and perks) for the next Science Café, visit http://www.engenuitysc.com/sciencecafe.

About EngenuitySC

Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., EngenuitySC is a public-private partnership focused on enhancing our region’s economic competitiveness and prosperity. Through collaboration with business, government, higher education and community leaders, EngenuitySC builds partnerships and measures success around five indicators of competitive communities: innovative capacity, talent, entrepreneurial/business environment, livability and strong industry clusters. Through our innovative process, unique vision and ability to create a plan and deliver results, EngenuitySC is working to build a more competitive and prosperous Midlands region. For more information, visit http://www.engenuitysc.com.

About the SmartState® Program

The SmartState® Program serves the public interest by creating incentives for the state’s research universities, in cooperation with other institutions of higher education in the state, to raise capital from non-state sources to fund endowments for specialized research professorships. These professorships in turn serve as the nucleus for unique, university-based research centers which cultivate critical, public-private industrial partnerships, expand the state’s knowledge base, create well-paying jobs, and enhance economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for the people of South Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.SmartStateSC.org.

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