IAV Automotive Engineering Donates to University of Michigan FormulaSAE Racing Team
Mentorship and monetary donation help team continue worldwide success
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Last Thursday, Dec. 6, IAV Automotive Engineering hosted an event at their Northville, Mich., headquarters to announce their sponsorship of the University of Michigan FormulaSAE team. IAV will provide IAV engineers as team mentors, as well as a $5,000 monetary donation.
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“It is always an easy decision to contribute to the FormulaSAE program at the University of Michigan. We find it incredibly valuable for the students, giving experience you would not have in the classroom and preparing them for what they might be doing if they were to get an engineering job,” said Andy Ridgway, president of IAV. “Students who go through this program are practical, know how to budget and plan, and can solve problems under pressure. This is exactly what we look for when hiring our team members, and many of the FormulaSAE team members will make great candidates for IAV.”
The team was present at the event and brought their 2012 vehicle to display. The students toured the IAV test facility and gave a presentation on the goals of each of system of their project, which includes various automotive technologies.
IAV has been sponsoring the University of Michigan FormulaSAE team since 2004, and has been continuing to increase its mentorship role.
“MRacing is extremely excited that IAV is continuing as a sponsor for the 2013 season…Our main goals this year are to increase the validity of our simulations and to decrease weight. Both of these goals require money, but will make our car faster and our members more knowledgeable. This donation helps not only our team, but it will help IAV as well,” said Reed Sullivan, 2013 MRacing FormulaSAE team captain.
IAV also contributes to the University of Michigan Engineering Department. The company’s donation helps send students to study in Germany. While touring, the students are able to visit companies, such as IAV, to learn more. Last summer, Matthias Kratzsch, senior vice president of Development for Gasoline Engines at IAV GmbH, led a full-day seminar for the engineering students.
