A convergence of circumstances, including energy security, climate change and air quality concerns, have led to a rapid push toward sustainable transportation. Experts from across North America will present solutions and ideas related to sustainable transportation at the first-ever Forward Motion: Advancing Mobility in California & Québec symposium organized by Art Center College of Design, the Québec Delegation in Los Angeles and the Université de Montréal.
Earlier this year, the Quebec government unveiled its 2011—2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles, intended to transform Québec into a North American leader in the field of sustainable mobility. Similarly, in 2009 California became the first state in America to mandate carbon-based reductions in transportation fuels in an attempt to cut the state's overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
In support of these larger sustainable mobility goals, Forward Motion will feature experts in the fields of electric vehicles and public transit as selected by the three partnering organizations. The experts will discuss the experimental programs, groundbreaking initiatives, new technologies and advanced materials developed in California and Quebec that are rapidly driving North America forward.
In advance of the half-day symposium, taking place on September 21, 2011 at Art Center's Hillside Campus in Pasadena, attendees have the option of attending a special keynote luncheon during which award-winning transportation designer Jean Labbé, founder of Labbé Designers & Associates—and a graduate of both Art Center College of Design and Université de Montréal—will address “How Design Is Shaping Public Transportation.”
In addition to Mr. Labbé, panelists include:
- Sylvain Castonguay, General Director of Québec's Centre National du Transport Avancé (CNTA)
- Renaud Cloutier, Vice President of Business Development at TM4
- Edward Kjaer, Director of Southern California Edison's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness program
- Catherine Morency, Chair of Mobility and Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Mining at Montreal's École Polytechnique
- Simon Pastucha, Principal Designer at the City of Los Angeles Urban Design Studio
- Pierre Rondeau, Director of Product Design, Advanced Concepts and Design Services at Bombardier Recreational Products
- Chelsea Sexton, Consulting Producer, Revenge of the Electric Car, and Senior Advisor to VantagePoint Capital Partners' CleanTech portfolio
“Our collaboration with the Quebec Delegation and the Université de Montréal comes at an exciting time for Art Center,” said Geoff Wardle, Director of Advanced Mobility Research at Art Center College of Design. “We are developing a new program in Graduate Transportation Design, which will expand the College's already significant impact on the automotive industry and the broader field of transportation design. As symbolized by the Forward Motion symposium, the curriculum will be heavily influenced by our relationships with outside partners from a diverse community of industry, government, urban planners, manufacturers, think tanks and other educational institutions.”
Philippe Lalande, Chair, School of Design of Université de Montréal, said, “We are pleased that our friends at Quebec Delegation partnered us with Art Center College of Design to create a green transportation design symposium. In Quebec, our School is the main source of talent and expertise in design, providing extensive knowledge to the transport industry. There are many similarities between our two educational institutions and we look forward to many more successful collaborations.”
“In our efforts to highlight Quebec's own expertise in design and sustainability as part of Quebec in Hollywood, there was no better choice than Art Center,” Charles Gauthier, Director of Economic Affairs for the Quebec Delegation in Los Angeles, added. “Art Center College of Design is an amazing, vibrant place and their students and faculty have shown a deep understanding of the future of transportation design. It's exactly this type of partnership that underscores both the commitment and creativity that are common to both California and Québec for accelerating real world solutions for clean transportation.”
The cost of attending the keynote luncheon, half-day symposium and networking reception is $55.00. Tickets for the half-day symposium and networking reception (without the luncheon) are $35.00. To register to attend Forward Motion, and for additional information about the program and speakers, please visit http://www.artcenter.edu/forwardmotion.
The symposium is part of Québec in Hollywood, a three-week celebration of Québec's unique brand of creativity and flair in the arts, circus, cuisine, comedy, design, fashion, film and music. All performances and events will take place in and around Hollywood in a variety of exciting venues. For more info on the Quebec in Hollywood festival, visit http://www.quebecinhollywood.com.
About Art Center College of Design
Founded in 1930, Art Center College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. Art Center offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of art and design disciplines, as well as public programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for its ties to industry and rigorous curriculum, Art Center is also the first design school to receive the United Nations' Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status.
About the Quebec Delegation in Los Angeles
Since 1970, the Quebec Delegation in Los Angeles has worked to foster the long tradition of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship that Québec and California share. In our respective corners of North America, Quebecers and Californians have laid the cornerstones for extremely successful design, entertainment, high-tech and transportation industries. From cinema to aerospace, fashion to IT, cleantech to life sciences, our companies, universities and institutions have long reached out to one other for partnerships, R&D collaborations and shared prosperity.
About Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal enjoys an enviable position as a leading research institution both in North America and Canada. The university's role as a hub between these spheres enables it to develop unique and dynamic research networks driven by world-renowned scientists, drawing collaboration with the world's most innovative organizations. At an international level, it is consistently placed within the top 150 institutions in major world research rankings.
Media contact:
William Raillant-Clark
International Press Attaché
University of Montreal (officially Université de Montréal)
Tel: 514-343-7593
w.raillant-clark@umontreal.ca
@uMontreal_News
La chimie verte, un concept à la mode