DEARBORN, MI — He’s beyond smart and has a PhD in Material Science and Engineering to prove it. He’s taken technology beyond cool because he can “prototype this” and just about anything.
Dr. Mike North, co-host of the Discovery Channel’s “Prototype This!,” which aired in 2008, will be the opening keynote speaker at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME) RAPID 2009 Conference & Exposition.
Set for May 12-14, 2009 in Schaumburg, Illinois, RAPID 2009 is the manufacturing industry’s premier and largest prototyping event for learning and networking.
Each year, RAPID, and the co-located 3D Imaging Conference, bring together the movers and shakers of design, prototyping, tooling and direct manufacturing technologies.
And Dr. Mike North is certainly one who knows how to move and shake things up — literally. During his graduate work, he designed and fabricated the world’s first adhesive that can be turned on and off electronically.
Beyond his inventions, his scientific pursuits include biomimetics, micro/nanofabrication, nanoscale microscopy and micro/nanomechanical characterization. What all this means for the uninitiated is that Dr. North understands how to make big things happen on a microscopic or very small scale and his investigations in these areas have been published in leading scientific journals.
Along with “Prototype This!” co-hosts and engineering geniuses Zoz Brooks, Joe Grand, and Terry Sandin, Dr. North invented such memorable innovations and contraptions from the useful (mind controlled car, traffic busting truck, wearable airbag) to the playful (automated pizza delivery, waterslide simulator, virtual sea adventure).
At Rapid 2009, he will not only share stories about these adventures, but also discuss how prototyping plays a pivotal role in getting inventions done right and in 3D living color.
“I’m really looking forward to the conference and making the most of interacting with the community,” he says.
Dr. North’s appearance at RAPID 2009 was made possible by the collaborative efforts of SME and the global prototyping and industry solutions company, Z Corporation.
And SME Show Manager, Gary Mikola say, “Our advisory committee invited Mike because he brought the importance of prototyping to the masses in a fun and exciting way. We’re overjoyed that he has accepted our invitation and we are grateful to Z Corporation for its support and participation in this year’s Conference.”
For more information about RAPID 2009 and the co-located 3D Imaging Conference or to register, please visit www.sme.org/rapid.
MPF
