FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. Bosch has expanded its partnership with Stanford University through a variety of new initiatives. Bosch has endowed a chair at Stanford, known as the Robert Bosch Chairmanship of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The Bosch endowment to Stanford will fund new research programs, innovative teaching ventures as well as encourage academic entrepreneurship throughout the mechanical engineering department. Professor Friedrich B. "Fritz" Prinz occupies the Robert Bosch Chair.
To mark the chair endowment, on Oct. 1, Bosch and Stanford hosted a panel entitled "Sustainable Transportation for the Future" held at Stanford University. Moderated by Dr. Moira Gunn, radio host of National Public Radio’s Tech Nation and BioTech Nation, and member of the Stanford mechanical engineering department’s Advisory Council, the event’s panel discussed the vision and needs of future transportation, the technologies required, open topics that need intense research and scenarios of implementation. Panelists included:
— Larry Burns, vice president, Research & Development and Strategic Planning, General Motors Corp.;
— Christopher Edwards, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University;
— Horst Muenzel, regional president, Research and Technology Center, Robert Bosch LLC;
— Elon Musk, product architect and chairman, Tesla Motors and CEO and CTO, SpaceX; and
— Stephen Schneider, professor, Department of Biology and Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University.
Bosch has also become a founding member of Stanford University’s CarLab, an initiative founded by three university professors, focusing on interdisciplinary research into automotive vehicle safety, the environment and enjoyable transportation. Bosch joins various automotive manufacturers, consumer and research companies in this initiative, bringing its leadership as an automotive supplier to these research areas.
"For many years, Bosch has significantly invested in research to develop technological solutions for social and ecological challenges," said Dr. Siegfried Dais, deputy chairman of the board of management, and responsible for research & development, Robert Bosch GmbH. "By partnering with Stanford University, one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions, in establishing the Bosch Chair and through our participation in the CarLab initiative, we continue our commitment to those principles and help accelerate the development of sustainable technologies for future generations."
"The Stanford School of Engineering is dedicated to tackling major societal challenges such as environmental sustainability through research and education. Those efforts are greatly helped by the support and partnership of companies such as Bosch," said Stanford Dean of Engineering James Plummer.
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