Subaru Partners With Google Expeditions To Help Excite, Educate And Engage Students Around The Globe

Auto brand to serve as official vehicle provider and lend its environmental expertise in creating future expeditions

News provided by

Sep 28, 2015, 01:00 ET

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. has announced its partnership with Google in support of the Expeditions Pioneer Program, an initiative that will take Google's educational virtual reality field trip kits on the road, with Subaru as the official vehicle provider of the program. Visiting schools in six U.S. states and four countries abroad, Subaru and Google hope to reach and inspire students by bringing kits to thousands of schools globally. Subaru has partnered with Google Expeditions to help bring this new educational experience to classrooms in the spirit of Subaru's ongoing Love Promise initiative.

Subaru of America has announced its partnership with Google in support of the Expeditions Pioneer Program, an initiative that will take Google's educational virtual reality field trips on the road, with Subaru as the official vehicle provider of the program. In addition to providing vehicles for the program, the brand will lend its environmental expertise in creating future expeditions to help excite, educate and engage students around the globe.

The Expeditions Pioneer Program, launching in September 2015, will canvas U.S. schools in California, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut while also visiting schools in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the United Kingdom. As part of the Pioneer Program, teachers at participating schools will be trained on Expeditions and use the technology to take their classes on virtual field trips.

Subaru's Love Promise is a commitment to support causes that are meaningful to Subaru and its customers, including Education, Environment, Pets and Community. In the spirit of that promise, Subaru will lend its expertise to help create a number of exciting and engaging new Expeditions on topics the brand and its drivers are passionate about including the zero-landfill manufacturing, responsibly exploring the country's National Parks and generally encouraging an adventurous spirit.

"Subaru is proud to support Google in helping to bring rich, innovative and educational learning experiences to students around the globe," said Alan Bethke, Subaru of America's vice president of marketing. "We saw an opportunity to create excitement for adventure in the classroom, while lending our zero-landfill passions to help ensure that the planet's wonders, like our National Parks, will remain for future generations."

Google Expeditions
Launched in May 2015, Google Expeditions is an immersive experience that allows teachers to take their classes on virtual field trips, bringing abstract concepts to life and giving students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. Teachers can bring students to museums, other continents or even outerspace, using Google Cardboard viewers and virtual reality content accessible through mobile phones. The kit contains a tablet for the teacher, and Cardboard viewers and phones for every student. The teacher selects a destination through an app and then leads students through a virtual field trip, pointing out specific points of interest along the way. While nothing replaces a traditional field trip, Expeditions provides an unparalleled opportunity for supplemental learning by bringing unique sights and experiences right into the classroom.

In addition to Subaru, Google is working with a number of partners including PBS, educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, British documentarian David Attenborough and his production company Alchemy VR, and the Wildlife Conservation Society to create custom education content using collections of virtual reality panoramas – 360 photo spheres, 3D images and video, ambient sounds – to truly immerse students in the experience.

For more information on the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program, including how to sign up a school to participate, visit http://google.com/expeditions.

About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of more than 620 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants, and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com.

About Google Inc.
Google is a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Google's innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top Internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world. Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Diane Anton
Subaru of America, Inc.
856-488-5093
[email protected]

Michael McHale
Subaru of America, Inc.
856-488-3326
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150928/271338

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.