The University of Tulsa’s College of Engineering & Computer Science welcomed Ali Erdemir, Ph.D., NAE, as part of its Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series. Erdemir is a distinguished professor and the Haliburton Chair in the Mike Walker ’66 Mechanical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. His lecture was titled “Promise and Pitfalls of Electric Vehicles for a Sustainable Transportation Future.”
Erdemir spoke about how electric vehicles (EVs) are transforming transportation through greater efficiency and reliability. With this enhancement, however, brings new challenges of getting the public to transition from traditional combustion engines in gasoline-powered vehicles. The batteries used in EVs face issues with temperature conditions, longevity, speed, load and extreme torque. Erdemir covered how new materials currently in development can create new batteries that can make longer lasting EVs.
Erdemir brings decades of experience in academic and professional spaces. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology. He then worked as an assistant metallurgist at the Argonne National Laboratory in the Chicago area. Throughout his career, he has served in various leadership roles, including president of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers and the International Tribology Council. Before his tenure at Texas A&M, Erdemir served as an adjunct professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University.
The Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series was created by an endowment from Norman Hulings Jr., whose ties to the community date back to 1902. Before attending UTulsa, Hulings served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He then earned a degree in petroleum production engineering in 1949, which led to his legacy at Oklahoma Natural Gas, later renamed ONEOK. Moving up through the company’s leadership ranks, he served as president of the corporation until his retirement in 1986.
Hulings was involved in numerous professional and community organizations such as the American Red Cross and the TU Alumni Association. His commitment to his alma mater was commemorated through his induction into The University of Tulsa’s Engineering Hall of Fame in 1979. He passed away in 2002, leaving an endowment at UTulsa that established the Norman E. Hulings Lecture Series. Recent past speakers include John W. Sutherland, Ph.D., NAE, of Purdue University and the Director General of Pandit Deendayal Energy University S. Sundar Manoharan, Ph.D.