2023 Dr. Carl F. Zorowski Distinguished Lecture: “Winning the Digital Engineering Race”

About the Dr. Carl F. Zorowski Distinguished Lecture:

The Dr. Carl Zorowski Distinguished Lecture Series is dedicated to late MAE Department head, Reynolds Professor Emeritus, and 60-year veteran of the College of Engineering: Dr. Carl Zorowski. Dr. Zorowski passed away April 5, 2021, and since then, his legacy as an invaluable educator and engineering professional at NC State has lived on through his students and through his many contributions to the MAE Department. Dr. Zorowski was an incredibly influential figure in the classroom, in the laboratory, in the halls of the College’s administration, and in the business community. His lifelong love of learning and innovation and his dedication to his students served as a shining example for faculty members in the College. Dr. Zorowski served as head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, as the College’s associate dean for academic affairs, and as co-founder and director of the Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering Institute (IMSEI), along with work as a consultant to the industry. To honor the amazing contributions of Dr. Zorowski and his years of service to the NC State College of Engineering, we are proud to host the Dr. Carl Zorowski Distinguished Lecture Series. 

Abstract:

At the top levels of motorsports throughout the world, the car is developed and the race is simulated far ahead of the actual event that takes place on the race track.  Teams and the automotive companies that support them are in a race and competition to build technical dominance in digital engineering.  By harnessing the power of digital engineering, the performance of the vehicle can be developed virtually.  Understanding complex interactions through physical simulation enables a deep understanding of the vehicle from a full vehicle systems engineering perspective.  The ability to predict performance at the race track with varying conditions and strategies has become the true battleground of racing.  Predicting performance digitally enables optimization. Engineers, software developers, and data analysts are always working to make sure that the first laps of practice and the race were won well before the event started.  With the continual advancement of computing power and AI/ML techniques, the loop can be closed with data being streamed real-time from the vehicle enabling better decisions made during the race and for the races ahead.

At GM Motorsports we are winning on the race track because we are investing in and committed to winning the digital engineering race at home.

Tune in at 10 a.m. Friday, March 24, 2023 to watch live.

Bio:

Dr. Eric S. Warren has had a distinguished 25+ year career in motorsports. He earned his BS (1991), MS (1993), and PhD (1997) in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University through the support of NASA-Langley Research Center. In 1997, his career in motorsports began when he accepted the chief aerodynamicist role with NASCAR’s Kranefuss-Haas Racing.

Over the next three decades, Dr. Warren has held transformative technical and management roles at Penske-Kranefuss Racing, Evernham Motorsports, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing serving in various roles as the chief aerodynamicist, chief engineer, technical director, vice president and chief technology officer.

During his tenure, he led these organizations in the adoption of many forms of advanced engineering tools in areas such as aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, vehicle dynamics simulation, driver-in-the-loop simulators, structural design, product life cycle management, additive manufacturing, race engineering and the application of real-time data analytics to race strategy prediction.

In 2020, after an 8-year tenure at Richard Childress Racing as the vice president and chief technology officer, Dr. Warren joined General Motors as the Director of Motorsports Competition NASCAR Programs.  Dr. Warren also is a Board Member of the Institute of Digital Engineering USA.

At General Motors, in addition to managing the NASCAR Program, Dr. Warren has led the development of the GM Motorsports organization and the construction of the new GM Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, NC.  Active research interests include optimal control methods for optimization of vehicle performance, DiL/XiL simulation, tire modeling, aerodynamics, real-time data analytics, AI/ML race strategy optimization, and motorsports digital engineering architecture.