Research Scholar Brings Green Experience to ME
Dr. John Dunning recently joined the Mechanical Engineering Department as its newest research scholar in residence. John came to Cal Poly with more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry and will serve as a valuable resource for student research projects in the increasingly vital area of sustainable battery technology.
“As someone from the automotive industry my whole career, I have been very impressed by Cal Poly’s approach,” John explained. “When you take these efforts, combine them with instruction on sustainable architecture and design, as well as physical science courses on global energy and climate, Cal Poly does a very good job of what I call ‘actionable sustainability.’ We talk the talk but we also walk the walk.”
With a BS, MS and PhD in Electrochemical Engineering from UCLA, John went on to work at the General Motors Research Laboratories, where he researched advanced battery and fuel cell technology. In 1988, John established the West Coast Operations office and laboratories of GM’s Delco Remy Division. It was there he became involved with developing advanced GM programs such as the Impact electric car (the production EV-1), the GM/Dept. of Energy hybrid vehicle program, electric transit bus, and others.
In November, John organized an alternative vehicle display in which the College of Engineering showcased its green fleet of student-designed vehicles. Hosted in the Bonderson Projects Center, the display included Cal Poly’s winning Super Mileage Vehicle and Human Powered Vehicle, as well as a Mazda RX7 race car that the Electric Vehicle Club is working to restore. AC Propulsion also presented its eBox, a customized Scion xB, which runs on an advanced electric propulsion system.
John will surely be putting his talents and experience to good use, as many mechanical engineering students are becoming especially interested in this exciting research field. Keep an eye out for John’s sustainable battery research projects in the coming year.