Industry veteran called to Clemson intends to start an automotive revolution
“If you want to start a revolution, you have to empower the revolutionaries,” observes Dr. David L. Bodde, professor and senior fellow in Clemson’s Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
And starting an automotive revolution is just what he intends to do. The automobile and its fuel sources are poised for dramatic change — urgently needed to improve fuel security, lower the auto’s environmental impact and improve industry competitiveness. So, Bodde is working to bring the skills and attitudes of entrepreneurs to bear on this crucial national problem.
Bodde notes that revolutionary change rarely comes from within an industry. As he points out, the electron tube companies did not invent solid-state electronics — the basis for most of our modern technology — that was left to a startup company called Texas Instruments; likewise, Western Union did not bring us the telephone, but left it to a small, new company headed by Alexander Graham Bell.
“Today, there are startup companies around the world with innovations that can revolutionize the auto industry,” Bodde said. “The trick is to connect them to the innovation processes of the established car companies — and that’s what I came to Clemson to do.”
To this end, Bodde is working to develop the Innovation Network for Sustainable Mobility, or INSuM, with a grant from the Department of Energy. The idea is to speed up the transition to sustainable vehicles and fuels by connecting entrepreneurs — who have the mindset for innovation — with industry incumbents — who have the systems engineering, manufacturing capacity and market access to put innovations to work quickly.
A self-described nontraditional academic, Bodde has spent most of his professional life running research organizations. “I was serving as president of MRI-Ventures, the for-profit arm of the Midwest Research Institute, when I first observed the power of new enterprises to drive change into the marketplace,” he said. His turn toward the university reflects his desire to nurture future innovators and entrepreneurs who will be responsible for tomorrow’s advancements.
“Universities are people-factories,” Bodde said. “We need to help those very special people — our students — learn to find opportunity in problems like the oil crisis and market volatility and translate their great ideas into the marketplace.”
Teaching is central to this effort. “I love teaching the engineers, especially,” he said. “Entrepreneurship can be an entirely new approach for them. They learn to think about creating value and opportunity, not just solving technical problems. And, they develop skills in anticipating problems rather than waiting for them to arise and then reacting.”
Indeed, the opportunity to work with students and faculty to spur societally valuable innovation was what attracted Bodde to Clemson — and what continues to drive his work. “When I decided to come here several years ago, I was excited about the privilege of working on important research with so many capable and good-hearted people,” Bodde reflects. “Most importantly, I still feel that way.”
With faculty members like Bodde leading the way, it’s no wonder that Clemson University has been named the No. 22 public institution in the nation.