SAE Update - March 2021 - 15

DOSSIER: Steve Rohde, retired General Motors engineer


Cover Story

part time as the Engineering
Director and was involved in the
implementation of novel robotic
and vehicle control concepts. He
retired from Quantum Signal in
2016.
Read on to learn more about
Rohde.
What is the most interesting
activity that you are engaged in
at the moment?
When I retired from GM, I began
working with kids on SAE STEM
projects. For 18, years I have
mentored many classes in Ann
Arbor, Saline, and Bloomfield
Hills, Mich. This has been very
rewarding. For the past several
years, I have also been a Science
Olympiad Coach in Electric
Circuits. It really amazes me how
technically sophisticated today's
kids are!
What past activity,
accomplishment, or memory
gives you the most satisfaction?
Having watched my kids grow up
and become accomplished adults
has given me the most
satisfaction. My daughter, who
got her M.D. from Harvard, is an
orthopedic surgeon. My son
earned his Ph.D. in engineering
from the University of Michigan
and started his own company,
UPDATE

Manning an AWIM exhibit at the Wings & Wheels Show in 2019.

Quantum Signal, which was acquired by Ford in 2019.
In what way is SAE helpful to you?
When I first started my professional life, I did not
know many people in the automotive area or the
future directions the industry was going. Attending
the SAE World Congress and other SAE meetings
helped a lot. I met people that I still interact with.
In what ways have you been involved with SAE?
I have been an SAE Member for over 40 years and an
SAE Fellow since 2016. I have written some SAE
papers and am currently a member of the SAE
Ground Vehicle Reliability Committee and the Mobility
History Committee (MHC). However, my greatest
involvement with SAE has been in supporting and
participating in the SAE AWIM STEM activity. In fact, I
am the " STEM guy " on the MHC and promote SAE's
AWIM program at various MHC events.
Has any single SAE Member been particularly
helpful or inspirational to you?
At GM around 1980, my manager at GM, Neil Schilke,
encouraged me to join SAE and was very supportive.
March 2021

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SAE Update - March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - March 2021
