Detroit Area High School Students to Present Their 'Dream' Vehicles
11 March 1999
Detroit Area High School Students to Present Their 'Dream' Vehicles During Finals CompetitionAUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 11 -- Student teams from five area high schools have been selected as finalists in "Build Your Dream Vehicle," an automotive design competition sponsored by DaimlerChrysler . A total of eight teams, selected from 16 entries, will present their vehicles to a panel of judges, which includes executives from DaimlerChrysler, engineering professors and automotive experts, at Oakland University on Friday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Created in 1994, "Build Your Dream Vehicle" exposes high school students to career opportunities in the automotive industry and teaches them basic employment skills. Students were challenged to conceive of, design, and present a futuristic, environment-friendly automobile -- complete with a three-dimensional model and marketing plans. The program's integrated curriculum helps students polish work skills such as the application of science, technology, and design; time management; creativity; teamwork; oral presentations; and development of marketing strategies and financial statements. Dr. Valerie Becker, DaimlerChrysler's National Education Programs Administrator, said, "The primary goal of the 'Build Your Dream Vehicle' program is to help high school students learn to work in teams to make decisions -- just as they would in the real world of business." The five finalist schools include: Dakota High School, Dexter High School, Murray Wright High School, William D. Ford Career Technical Center, and Lee M. Thurston High School. Sixteen Detroit area teams sent their "Build Your Dream Vehicle" entries to DaimlerChrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., last month for preliminary judging. Eight teams were chosen to compete in Detroit's area finals. Student teams have been working on their "dream" vehicles since the beginning of the school year.