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New director Roger King seeks to moves CAVS forward to next level |
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Monday, 27 April 2009 |
By PAUL SIMS
Starkville Daily News
The recently-appointed director of Mississippi State University’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems is working with a broader definition of a “vehicle” and wants to take CAVS to the next level.
Dr. Roger King, who previously served as the associate dean of research and graduate studies at MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering, served as the center’s interim director beginning in July.
King says he’s “very appreciative to ... Dean Sarah Rajala for the selection.”
In a statement, Rajala said King’s contributions to the college have enabled MSU to rank among the leading research institutions in the United States. MSU is in the 10 percent among engineering research spending out of more than 350 engineering schools in the nation, according to the statement.
“During his time as associate dean for research in the Bagley College of Engineering, Roger facilitated a significant increase in research funding, worked with the departments to grow the graduate program and enhanced the extension and outreach activities,” Rajala said.
She went on to say that “I am confident that he will effectively apply his leadership skills to move CAVS and our college to new heights.”
According to King’s biographical information on the engineering college’s Web site, King holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctoral degree in engineering from the University of Wales in Wales, United Kingdom.
The statement on King’s appointment provided background on King, his work and the center he now directs.
CAVS was created in 2001 as part of the effort to draw Nissan to Mississippi. The company now operates an assembly plant in Canton.
CAVS came into existence toward the end of 2003, pulling together teams in research, engineering, development and the transfer of technology with an aim toward improving the ability to move humans and cargo.
Areas of focus have included, among others:
• Manufacturing process modeling.
• Computational fluid dynamics.
• Material science.
• Computational mechanics.
• Multi-scale modeling.
• Vehicular systems engineering.
About a year ago, CAVS and MSU’s Computational Simulation and Design Center – known as the SimCenter – merged, King said in an interview.
“CAVS had been previously looking largely at ground vehicles. ... This allows us to look at a much broader view of vehicles,” King said.
As far as the center’s impact on economic development, CAVS has provided a $3 billion economic impact to Mississippi and has had a role in saving or creating 1,400 jobs, according to a flier on the center and information based on a survey through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi.
King addressed the center’s successes and its future.
“What we’ve got to do at CAVS is we’ve got to elevate it to the next level. We’re going a good job with the manufacturing. We need to be bringing knowledge-based jobs to the state of Mississippi – engineering and research associated with the automotive industry. Right now essentially what we’re doing is the assembly,” he said.
“CAVS is a Mississippi asset. It also has a regional reach,” he said.
Along with its primary location in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park across from the MSU campus, CAVS also has an extension operation in Canton.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 April 2009 )
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