Event showcases the physics of a Ferrari by Applied Minds co-founder, Bran Ferren

By Dalton Tevlin

On March 2, the FIU Department of Physics held an event, “Physics & Ferraris” at the Student Academic Success Center where they showcased a variety of different Ferraris along with a presentation about the physics of Ferrari’s and other vehicles by Applied Minds Co-Founder Bran Ferren.

Bran Ferren is an artist, engineer, vehicle designer, sound designer, lighting designer, visual effects artist, inventor and a former Walt Disney Imagineer.

He currently is the co-founder of Applied Minds, which is a technology consulting firm that assists corporations in making technological advancements in a multitude of different areas.

Bran Ferren has personally been involved with films such as “Star Trek” and “Little Shop Of Horrors” along with artist like Pink Floyd and David Bowie just to name a few. Ferren has also worked closely with many automotive and aerospace companies such as General Motors.

Ferren’s presentation was quite informative. He displayed a variety of different vehicles from luxury cars to airplanes to even formula one vehicles and broke down the physics and why each one works.

Ferren also displayed his personally designed off-road vehicle the Kiravan, named after Ferren’s 8-year-old daughter, Kira.

The Ferrari’s that were displayed outside of SASC were courtesy of various Ferrari Club members and professor Fiorella Terenzi who is currently the president of the club.

There were five different Ferrari’s on display and each one was a sight to see init of itself. It’s not every day you get to see one of these luxury sports cars so it was definitely a treat for students.

The presentation given by Bran Ferren was very informative and easy to understand as he related various physics concepts to everyday examples that made it easy to understand.

At the end of the speech Ferren took questions from students and he lended some very helpful words for students at the University. He describe engineering, or any career for that matter to be a “passion” and without passion “you will never achieve greatness in your field.”

He also reminded students to focus on their success and have a vision they can lay out and follow. Trusting the people you are working with is of vital importance in any industry, especially in the world of engineering.

Overall, it was a night of both fun and education. College of Arts, Sciences & Education Dean  Michael Heithaus addressed the students before the presentation, telling students he hopes to have more events like this in the future.  

Whether you are interested in engineering or just wanted to see some cool cars there was something fun here for everyone. Keep a look out for any more events hosted by the Department of Physics in the future.