Mars Rover flight director to speak at Clemson Tire Conference

Published: January 22, 2013

GREENVILLE — Bobak Ferdowsi, flight director for NASA’s Mars rover, Curiosity, will be keynote speaker at the 29^th Clemson University Global Tire Industry Conference Wednesday, April 24, on Hilton Head Island.

“Leading innovation, creative design and breaking barriers are so critical to the success of the tire industry,” said Tanya Thompson, director of Clemson’s Center for Corporate Learning. “We were looking for the perfect intersection of innovation, creativity, leadership and tires, and when we saw how Bobak lead his diverse team, we knew his extraordinary experience of putting the Curiosity rover on Mars is exactly what we want to share.”

Ferdowsi is an American Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at California Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Washington. Ferdowsi enjoys sharing his passion for science and space exploration. During the Curiosity’s landing, he gained media notoriety with his unusual mohawk hairstyle. 

The Clemson University Global Tire Industry Conference will be April 24–26 at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. The conference is a unique opportunity to hear from industry experts while gaining valuable insight into current market trends and industry challenges.

For more information or to register, go to www.clemsontireconference.com or by call 1-800-258-1017.