SAE Update - March 2023 - 12

MEMBER NEwS
introducing 2023 SAE President Todd Zarfos
continue to innovate in the area
of standards to serve across the
mobility waterfront. SAE is
important to all of the mobility
sectors - automotive,
commercial vehicle, and
aerospace - and standards
underpin them. They are
essential. They represent a key
tool to advance technology and
adapt to our customers' needs.
That is why I've put so much of
my time and effort into this focus
area even before becoming SAE
president.
I've been active in aerospace
standards for over 30 years,
serving in various capacities and
in different organizations. I have
a greater appreciation for the
value of SAE because I've
worked at the ground floor of
what it takes to develop
standards. Before retiring from
Boeing in December of 2020, I
oversaw how we used our
standards and who supports
them - encompassing the entire
lifecycle of the process.
While standards are essential,
they form part of a greater whole
of knowledge and information.
SAE has an overarching mobility
strategy, and we're going to
make sure we continue to move
forward in the major thrust areas.
12 March 2023
Additive manufacturing, autonomous technologies,
artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity are important
new trends for which SAE is expanding its role. The
entire transportation industry is rethinking every
aspect of what it produces in the context of
sustainability.
So, for me, it's about making sure that we bring
forward new capabilities - what new frameworks,
workforce trainings, publications and standards do we
need to develop to prepare industry as we move
forward? That's where we'll spend a lot of time and
effort on the board, refining our strategies to keep
SAE at the forefront of standards development and as
a recognized thought leader in the mobility space.
SAE is about providing the enablers around
mobility: safety, accessibility, and affordability. All
three of these focus areas go across all of our
transportation sectors.
Encouraging students to go into STEM fields is a
priority for me, as it has been for previous SAE
presidents. The SAE Foundation funded A World in
Motion (AWIM) curriculum specifically targeted for
the K-8 community and the Collegiate Design Series
- these programs are the two main vehicles through
which SAE develops and executes activities geared to
entice students into an engineering career. I have
some firsthand volunteer experience with those
specific SAE STEM programs.
In closing, let me say that I'm here to support our
SAE community. On that note, if there's something that
we need to improve or change - whether it's SAE the
institution, the team or within our industries - I'm more
than willing to do my part to make the change happen.
I consider it a distinct honor to be part of the SAE
leadership team and I am super excited about SAE's
future. n
UPDATE
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SAE Update - March 2023

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