SAE International Formula SAE Michigan Winners Announced

WARRENDALE, Pa., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SAE International hosted the Formula SAE Michigan competition on May 11-12. The competition takes college students out of the classroom and encourages them to apply textbook theories to real engineering processes.

With two days of competition, student teams representing more than 118 colleges and universities, from nine countries converged on the famed Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, Michigan for the Formula SAE event.

The Formula SAE competition is organized around the concept that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a design team to develop a small Formula-style race car. The prototype race car is to be evaluated for its potential as a production item. Student teams design, build and test a prototype based on a series of rules whose purpose is both to ensure onsite event operations and promote problem solving. 

The competition's results are as follows:

2012 Champion – Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon)

The grand champion is recognized as the overall highest scoring team in all eight of the judged event competitions.

Design Event

• 1st  - Oregon State University
• 2nd  - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Karlsruhe, Germany)
• 3rd   - Universitat Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany)

Presentation Event

• 1st - Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)
• 2nd - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• 3rd  - Universitat Stuttgart

Cost Event

• 1st  - University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
• 2nd - Kookmin University (Seongbuk-gu, South Korea)
• 3rd  - University of Michigan – Dearborn (Dearborn, MI)

Acceleration Event 

• 1st  - University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)
•  2nd  - Graz University of Technology (Graz, Austria)
• 3rd  - Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)

Skidpad Event

• 1st  - Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, United Kingdom)
• 2nd  - Oregon State University
• 3rd  - Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, MO)

Autocross Event

• 1st  - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
•  2nd  - Oregon State University
• 3rd   - Missouri University of Science and Technology

Endurance Event

• 1st   - Oregon State University
• 2nd  - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• 3rd  - University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Economy Event

• 1st - University of Wisconsin – Madison (Madison, WI)
• 2nd - U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO)
• 3rd  - U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD)

"It was exciting to see the creativity and innovation displayed by collegiate engineering students who are preparing to enter the workforce," said Matt Miller, director of the SAE Foundation and pre-professional programs. "Events like Formula SAE competitions showcase the talents of students from around the world who are the future of our industry. The highly competitive outcomes of the competitions were a testament to the education these students are receiving in the classroom as well as the SAE Foundation STEM programming." 

"In addition to learning, the Formula SAE event provides a unique form of competition," said Frank O. Klegon, President, SAE International. "Collegiate engineering students competed in a series of static and dynamic events designed to challenge their engineering, problem-solving and team-work skills. The students worked hard and competed to win, and while not everyone finished in first place, the students left with a more rich understanding of engineering."

Formula SAE's mission is to promote careers and excellence in engineering as it encompasses all aspects of the automotive industry including research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management and finances. Today, the competition has expanded and includes a number of international spin off events. In the United States there are two locations: California and Michigan--largest and longest running event.

About the SAE Foundation
The SAE Foundation is the charitable arm of SAE International that strives to encourage and increase student participation and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through educational programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. SAE International is a global association of more than 133,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development.

www.saefoundation.org

Contact: Alex Miles, Mullen, [email protected] or 412-402-0151

SOURCE SAE Foundation