Erik Foltz is a graduate student and member of the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Originally from Madison, he received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2006 and is working toward his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is currently working with Professor Tim Osswald on the development of a non-pneumatic tire for automotive applications. Erik also works with The Madison Group, a plastic consulting firm, assisting in the design and failure analysis of plastic components. His interests include plastic component design, and utilization of Finite Element Analysis for optimization of polymer processing and product development.