At Dassault Systèmes, we have the great fortune of meeting and working with extraordinary people every day. They’re the catalysts of the discoveries and innovations that will improve our lives in the future.
This year, we wanted to celebrate our friends, customers, partners and employees who understand the power of technology and virtual worlds to make a difference in the real world. We introduced a new series, called “Humans Driving Progress” to share their entertaining, educating and inspiring stories with you, our readers.
Let’s take a look back at some of the humans driving progress in 2023–and be sure to look for more great stories in 2024!
1. Meet the woman entrepreneur behind the world’s first drive-and-fly eVTOL: Maki Kaplinsky
Imagine you could beat traffic on your morning commute by flying into the office, and then drive back home in the same vehicle at the end of the workday. Thanks to ASKA co-founder Maki Kaplinsky, this fantasy of futuristic life is closer to reality than ever before. As she pursues federal certification for the ASKA™ A5 eVTOL, Kaplinsky is paving new paths in the transportation industry. Read on to learn more about Kaplinsky’s journey to bring the world’s first fly-and-drive vehicle to market.
2. Meet the man teaching and learning through simulations: Mattias Robertsson
Meet Dassault Systèmes’ own “simulation influencer” Mattias Robertsson. From his trusted crash test dummy, Bruce, to complex demonstrations of advanced physics concepts, Robertsson has achieved social media fame by sharing a range of creative simulations with digital communities across the globe to highlight the possibilities enabled by virtual twins. Read on to learn more about Robertsson’s role as a virtual champion of simulation and how it could be the key to securing a sustainable future.
3. Meet the ‘Maven’ who wants to shape the future of manufacturing: Meaghan Ziemba
What do Rosie The Riveter, tacos and whiskey have in common? All three of them led Meaghan Ziemba to founding her own LLC and video podcast “Mavens of Manufacturing,” which features prominent female figures and diverse voices within manufacturing to champion women who are pursuing opportunities in this field. Read on to learn more about Ziemba’s remarkable journey to empower the next generation of women in manufacturing.
4. Meet the man making hospitals safer from airborne disease: Emmanuel Vanoli
After his grandmother was hospitalized with COVID-19 back in 2020, preventing its spread became a mission for Dassault Systèmes’ engineer Emmanuel Vanoli. At the start of the global pandemic, Vanoli’s pursuit of creative solutions to an unprecedented virus led to the development of PRISMES, a virtual twin of hospital blueprints that tracks the flow of airborne bacteria with the help of our SIMULIA software. Read on to learn more about Vanoli’s groundbreaking tool that has helped healthcare centers and public facilities adapt their environments to support a new normal.
5. Meet the science communicator bringing a splash of creativity to the world of STEM: Erin Winick Anthony
From New Year’s Eve glasses and Silly Band bracelets to a wedding bouquet and a whimsical skirt designed to look like a parachute on the Mars Rover, Erin Winick Anthony is a wizard with a 3D printer. Sharing her creations and fashion with the world has led her to amass a significant social media following, and become a STEM influencer. Read on to learn more about Anthony’s journey that has led her from NASA to establishing her own science social media platform, STEAM Power Media.
So that’s a wrap on 2023. We can’t wait to introduce another chapter of great stories in 2024! Stay tuned as we highlight more incredible humans driving progress and changing the world for a brighter tomorrow.