AMERICAN IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES
STUDENTS SETTING THE NEXT AUTOMOTIVE TREND
Detroit, MI, May 15, 2006 -Target the
future and break through conventional car design. Create an
uncompromising driving machine of pure driving pleasure. Transform the
bumper sticker “My other car is…” into a
reality.
That is the challenge American Iron and Steel
Institute (AISI) has put before three transportation design students at
the College for Creative Studies (CCS) and three University of
Michigan (U-M) engineering graduate students.
AISI enters its 18th summer design internship by
breaking new ground with a real world twist. The past 17 years have
produced exciting CCS designed concept vehicles. This year U-M
engineering interns will join the project.
U-M engineering students Aditya Rajderkar, Sungchul
Choi and Sathish Dhandapani, CCS students, Alex Alequin, Byung Cho and
Carrie Fodor will design a concept car that embodies leading-edge
technology utilizing a flexible platform. The new design concepts are
expected to that appeal to Generation X, Baby Boomers and the Millennial
generation.
Since 1989, the AISI/CCS interns have faced design
challenges that range from visual appeal to versatility of application.
But whether creating cars from movie themes or focusing on fuel
containers, the students work toward one basic goal: using advanced
steel technologies to design vehicles that are safe, affordable, fuel
efficient and environmentally responsible.
With guidance from AISI steel-applications specialists
and professional automotive designers, students learn the design and
engineering potential of steel to increase their understanding of how to
work with the material - a chance to design a car with the freedom for
creativity and expression for the various lifestyles while integrating
advanced high-strength steel and safety technologies.
AISI gathers valuable insight into next-generation
steel-design applications from the student projects. The students expand
their knowledge of steel – the dominant vehicle-design material
– before entering the job market, gaining a valuable edge over
other prospective designers.
"The AISI internship allows students to experience
working with flexible manufacturing materials that meet the designing
requirements as shaped by the automotive industry," said Bryon
Fitzpatrick, chairman, Transportation Design for the College for
Creative Studies. "Students gain a breadth of knowledge on advancement
in steel applications and design elements that can be used in creating
concepts that meet future needs – such as safety and fuel
efficiency.”
AISI organizes field trips for the students to show
them behind-the-scenes steelmaking and vehicle manufacturing. Field
trips to steel mills, stamping plants, engineering facilities and design
studios provide rare opportunities to witness the various production
stages involved in creating a vehicle. These experiences broaden the
students' relationship with the automotive industry, and technically
orient them toward designing the interior and exterior surfaces of
innovative contemporary vehicles.
Ron Krupitzer, vice president for the American Iron
and Steel Institute’s Automotive Applications Committee (AAC),
said, “Developing future generations of cars and training the
designers behind the concepts means incorporating advanced materials and
safety technology into each design. AISI, along with CCS and U-M, is
bringing together tomorrow’s designers and engineers to pioneer
new approaches for steel applications with a freedom for creativity
focused on today’s various lifestyles and
generations.”
Matrix System Automotive Finishes, Inc. is providing
the students with their automotive painting needs and technical insight
into automotive paint products. Matrix System
Automotive Finishes, Inc. is the largest manufacturer and distributor of
automotive refinish paint products in the country, outside of the major
national paint companies. With a complete
research, development, and quality control lab, Matrix products have
proven to be exceptional in performance, durability, and application in
thousands of shops across the country.
The College for Creative Studies is a recognized
leader in transportation design education, providing top talent and
inspiration to the international automotive industry. Since 1906, CCS
has advanced the creative spirit, preparing students to enter the global
economy and shape a better world. A private, fully accredited, four-year
college of art and design, CCS offers degrees in 11 fields of study and
provides art education to thousands of Detroit youth
through community outreach programs.
The University of Michigan College of Engineering is
ranked among the top engineering schools in the country. Michigan
Engineering boasts one of the largest engineering research budgets of
any public university, at more than $130 million. Michigan Engineering
has 11 departments and two NSF Engineering Research Centers. Within
those departments and centers, there is a special emphasis on research
in three emerging areas: nanotechnology and integrated microsystems;
cellular and molecular biotechnology; and information technology.
Michigan Engineering is seeking to raise $110 million for capital
building projects and program support in these areas to further research
discovery. Michigan Engineering's goal is to advance academic
scholarship and market cutting-edge research to improve public health
and well-being.
The Automotive Applications Committee (AAC) is a subcommittee of the
Market Development Committee of AISI and focuses on advancing the use of
steel in the highly competitive automotive market. With offices and
staff located in Detroit, cooperation between the automobile and steel
industries has been key to its success. This industry cooperation
resulted in the formation of the Auto/Steel Partnership, a consortium of
DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors
Corporation and the member companies of the AAC. For more news or
information, view the American Iron and Steel Institute /Automotive
Applications Committee's website at www.autosteel.org.
American Iron and Steel Institute/
Automotive Applications Committee:
AK Steel
Corporation
Dofasco
Inc.
Mittal Steel
USA
Nucor
Corporation
Severstal North America Inc.
Stelco Inc.
United
States Steel Corporation
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