2015 Altair Enlighten Award Judges Announced

2015 Altair Enlighten Award judges have been announced! Eight influential industry leaders will be judging the automotive industry’s only award program created in collaboration with Center for Automotive Research (CAR) to specifically acknowledge innovation in vehicle lightweighting, essential to improving fuel economy and performance.

“The Enlighten Award will recognize leaders who have pioneered new lightweighting applications and found ways to overcome barriers along this road to 2025.  The industry will learn from the Enlighten Award applicants and see real-world applications that have overcome barriers that were once believed to be insurmountable,” said Dr. Jay Baron, President & CEO for the Center for Automotive Research.

The judging panel comprises of the following industry leaders:

Dr. Jay Baron, President and CEO, Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, Mich., and director of CAR’s Coalition for Automotive Lightweighting Materials (CALM)

Harvey Bell, Clinical Professor of Engineering Practice and Co-Director, Multidisciplinary Design Program at the University of Michigan

Gary Latham, Director of Design Engineering at Pratt & Miller Engineering

Dr. Imtiaz Haque, Founding Chair and Executive Director of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research

Dr. Royston Jones, President of Altair ProductDesign Europe and Global Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Clemens Schmitz-Justen, Founder and Head of Strategic Consulting, CSJ Schmitz-Justen & Company, former director of international programs at the Clemson University College of Business and Behavioral Science, and former president of BMW Manufacturing LLC in Spartanburg, S.C.

Chris Theodore, President of Theodore & Associates automotive industry consulting; former CEO of ASC, Inc., vice president of Ford Motor Co. and senior vice president of DaimlerChrysler; and former executive director of North American advanced vehicle development at General Motors.

Ryan Gehm, Associate Editor, SAE International, writing for Automotive Engineering, Off-Highway Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering with over 15 years’ experience of advanced-technology topics with a focus on materials, interiors, body and chassis. Ryan is a new entry to the award’s judging panel.

Read about 2013 and 2014 Enlighten Award winners, and find out more on the Enlighten Blog about the past nominees and latest news. Entries must be received in advance of the May 29, 2015 deadline.

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Dave Mason

Vice President, Global Automotive at Altair

David Mason, a veteran Altair executive who joined the company in 1994, is responsible for the automotive vertical in Altair’s Global Markets Team. This team is responsible for business strategy and development along with the sharing of best practices (software and services) both internally and externally in key global markets. Prior to his current position, Mason was the Managing Director of Altair’s United Kingdom office. His experience at Altair includes leadership roles in consulting, software product management, and sales. During his time with Altair he has led project teams in diverse disciplines including the development of vehicle systems, CAE, vehicle build and test projects, test data analysis, and custom software development. A large part of his career has been involved with helping organizations adopt and implement simulation led design processes. Before joining Altair in 1994, Mason worked as a product engineer at General Motors Corporation. He holds master’s degrees from The University of Michigan in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics.

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