ITRE / News / News Archives / News Release 3-24-08

Transportation Founders Fund Speaking Event April 10 Features Toyota National Manager

March 24, 2008

Raleigh, N.C. – The Transportation Founders Fund will host their annual Spring Speaking Event April 10 at 5 p.m. in the Monteith Research Center, room 136 on Centennial Campus at North Carolina State University. This year’s speaker is Robert R. Wimmer, Energy and Environmental Research Group National Manager of Toyota Motor North America.

Mr. Wimmer is responsible for managing Toyota Motor North America’s (TMA) energy and environmental research, and advanced vehicle activities. He oversees efforts on advanced energy and biofuels research, the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University, CO2 capture/sequestration research, and TMA’s interactions with the U.S. Department of Energy. He also coordinates TMA’s hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicle activities with other Toyota divisions and supports alternative fuel and climate change activities within TMA.
 
Mr. Wimmer has been with TMA for almost five years and is currently working with Toyota in Japan and other North American Toyota affiliates to analyze the benefits and challenges of alternative fuels, such as ethanol and hydrogen, and issues relating to advanced vehicle deployment.

Prior to joining Toyota, Mr. Wimmer was the Technical Director of Fuel Cell Bus Programs at Georgetown University (GU). For 12 years he provided technical and program management oversight during the design, fabrication and testing of five fuel cell/battery hybrid transit buses. He brings a strong systems understanding of fuel cell and hybrid vehicle technology to TMA.
 
Mr. Wimmer is a California native with an MS in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a Mechanical Engineering degree from California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, CA. He has been an active member of SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) since 1984.

Please note that space is limited and registration is required. To register, please contact Menda Lambeth by e-mail: menda_lambeth@ncsu.edu no later than April 4.

A map to Monteith Research Center on NCSU’s centennial campus is available on NCSU’s Web site: www.ncsu.edu/campus_map/centennial.htm. Parking after 4:30 p.m. is free in the MRC parking deck on the day of the event.
 
The TFF is a unique opportunity for transportation students and professionals in North Carolina to interact with top-level transportation executives and academics while supporting the transportation program at N.C. State University (NCSU). It is an outreach activity of the Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) and the Department of Civil Engineering at NCSU.
 
The Institute for Transportation Research and Education, administered by North Carolina State University, is a non-profit organization that conducts research, education, and technical assistance projects on a wide variety of surface transportation issues with the goals of solving problems and creating new products, better services, and smarter workers. ITRE is located on NCSU's Centennial Campus. For more information about ITRE and related programs, please visit our Web site at www.itre.ncsu.edu.

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