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2025 Carl F. Zorowski Distinguished Lecture: Giorgio Rizzoni
March 28 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
About the Carl F Zorowski Distinguished Lecture Series:
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.
Title:
The future of automotive propulsion systems, sustainable fuels and energy sources – what cars will our grandchildren drive?
Abstract:
Mobility has undergone dramatic transformations that are radically changing the way we move and access work and leisure time. This seminar presents a perspective, based on over 30 years of research in the field, on the evolution and adoption of new technologies related to vehicle energy efficiency, carbon emissions of various energy sources, and their suitability to automotive transportation.
The interplay of technology, policy and economic considerations makes energy for transportation a very complex subject – we are in the midst of dramatic changes in the automotive industry, and the gola of this talk is to provide a foundation to imagine future parhways for sustainmable transportation.
The talk begins with and analysis of primary energy sources, and their impact and potential use for vehicle propulsion systems; understanding the broader energy picture, the conversation will then focus on explaining the current and potential future roles of petroleum-based fuels, electricity, hydrogen and sustainable fuels (biofuels and e-fuels) in the context of transportation.
Bio:
Giorgio Rizzoni, the Ford Motor Company Chair in Electromechanical Systems, is a Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) at The Ohio State University. He has served in his current role as Director of Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research since 1999.
Rizzoni has advised more than 46 PhD and 112 MS students in his career and was recognized by the MAE Department with the Distinguished Graduate Faculty award in April of 2016. He is also the recipient of three Excellent in Undergraduate Teaching awards in the MAE department, in addition to the College of Engineering Stanley and Peter & Clara Scott Awards for Excellence in Engineering Education. He has led inter alia three Department of Education (DOE) Graduate Automotive Technology Education Centers of Excellence, the participation of Ohio State in two DOE US-China Clean Energy Research Centers, and multiple Ohio Third Frontier programs. He is currently leading the ARPA-E NEXTCAR program, with the aim of advancing energy efficiency in connected and automated vehicles, and OSU’s Advanced Air Mobility efforts.
Professor Rizzoni is a Fellow of IEEE (2004), SAE (2005) and ASME (2022). He received his BS, MS and PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan.