TURNING CAR DESIGN “INSIDE OUT” - American Iron and
Steel Institute Kicks Off Summer Internship with the College for
Creative Studies and the University of Michigan
DETROIT, MI, July 9, 2007 – New 2007 concept cars are shedding their traditional skins this
summer. What you see on the outside hints at
what’s going on inside – a cocoon of steel that encases us
to provide safety, optimum handling and functional styling.
“Inside Out” is the challenge that the
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 (UM)
engineering students. It is a simple way to
describe an exoskeletal automotive structure, one that not only bears
the principal loads of the vehicle along exterior load paths, but also
may make visible more load-bearing structure than is normally seen on
vehicles with traditional body-on-frame or unibody
construction.
The car designers and engineers will stretch their
imaginations as they design three different concept cars that are as
much a styling revolution as they are truly functional, incorporating
the latest advanced high-strength steel and safety
technologies.
CCS students Tyler Mars, Tim O’Donnell and
Nicholas Stone and UM engineering students Jennifer Hoskins, Zoheb Kahn
and Alok Pradhan, with guidance from AISI steel applications specialists
and automotive designers, will learn about the design and engineering
potential of steel. It’s a unique opportunity to design a car with the
creativity and expression, while integrating state-of-the-art advanced
high-strength steel, safety technologies, and engineering
principles.
“Driving automotive innovation through the
incorporation of advanced steel and safety technologies is the strength
behind the AISI summer internship program,” said
Ron
Krupitzer, vice president of the
American Iron and Steel Institute’s Automotive Applications
activities. AISI and its partners,
CCS and UM, bring together every aspect of automotive design and
development from concept development to model production, including
consideration of materials and methods.”
AISI organizes trips to a steel mill and automotive
stamping/assembly plants to allow the students an opportunity to witness
the various production stages involved in creating a
vehicle. The students expand their knowledge
of steel –- the dominant material in today’s vehicles
–- before entering the job market, and thereby gain a valuable
edge over other prospective designers.
Since 1989, the AISI summer internship program has
challenged the students to design concept cars with visual appeal
directed at a specific theme. But whether creating concept cars from
movie themes or from today’s lifestyle challenges, the students
work toward one basic goal: using advanced steel technologies to design
safe, affordable, fuel efficient and environmentally responsible
vehicles.
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.
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel
industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in
the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application
of new steels and steelmaking technology. AISI is comprised of 31 member companies, including integrated
and electric furnace steelmakers, and 130 associate and affiliate
members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel
industry. AISI's member companies represent
more than 75 percent of both U.S. and
North American steel capacity.
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
- ArceorMittal
- Dofasco Inc.
- Nucor Corporation
- Severstal North America Inc.
- United States Steel Corporation
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