Motorsports Mondial
SAE INTERNATIONAL TO PARTNER WITH F1 IN SCHOOLS IN THE USA
F1 in Schools™ announced today that SAE International has taken on F1 in Schools USA and will be forging ahead with plans for the 2012 competition. The move follows a successful tie-up for F1 in Schools with SAE International earlier this year, when SAE International hosted the USA F1 in Schools National Finals alongside the successful Formula SAE at Michigan International Speedway.
SAE International will build on the success of the USA F1 in Schools program which has been established for over eight years, producing two F1 in Schools World Champions along the way. SAE International will undertake all elements of the F1 in Schools program, promoting it to schools throughout the USA, administering the registration process for competing schools, staging regional final events across the country and hosting the USA F1 in Schools National Finals, which will select the National Champions, who will then compete on the world stage at the F1 in Schools World Finals.
Andrew Denford, Founder and Chairman, F1 in Schools, praises SAE International for their involvement with F1 in Schools, saying, “We are delighted that SAE International has come on board to run the F1 in Schools USA and we look forward to a successful future ahead. SAE International is an ideal organisation to nurture the F1 in Schools program and realise the potential for it, as there is so much scope for growth across the States.”
The support of SAE International for F1 in Schools USA will secure the future of the competition in one of the largest territories for F1 in Schools, and it comes at a time when Formula 1 is preparing to return to its shores for the first time since 2007, when Austin hosts the USA Grand Prix in November 2012.
Denford says, “With the new home for the Formula 1™ Grand Prix in the US at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the time is right to expand the base we have established for the F1 in Schools program in the States. We are already in discussion with the circuit about the promotional links and the opportunities presented with the Grand Prix being held at the facility, and hope that this will benefit the activities of SAE International and F1 in Schools USA.”
Matt Miller, director of the SAE Foundation and Pre-Professional Programs, which oversees SAE International’s award-winning educational programs – the Collegiate Design Competition and A World in Motion® says, “By partnering with F1 in Schools, SAE International expands its educational offerings and has a definitive engineering project for high school students,” “The F1 in Schools program enables high school students to participate in a sophisticated program that significantly elevates the degree of competition.”
The F1 in Schools initiative challenges teams of students to use CAD/CAM software to design, test, manufacture and race a miniature compressed air-powered balsa wood Formula 1 car of the future. A purpose-built 20 metre track is used to test the speed of the model cars. In addition, participants are judged on their final car design, engineering development, team work and project presentation. Further information is available at www.f1inschools.com
Through its charitable arm, the SAE Foundation, SAE International strives to encourage and increase student participation and achievement in science, technology, engineering and math through many programs, including A World In Motion® (AWM) and the Collegiate Design Series.
SAE International’s AWIM curriculum is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that brings science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to life in the classroom for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Benchmarked to the national standards, AWIM incorporates the laws of physics, motion, flight and electronics into age-appropriate hands on activities that reinforce classroom STEM curriculum.
SAE International’s Collegiate Design Series goes beyond textbook theory by designing, building and testing the performance of a real vehicle. Competitions include: Aero Design®, Clean Snowmobile Challenge™, Formula SAE® Series, Baja SAE® Series and Supermileage®. “SAE International’s programs, including Formula SAE, blend perfectly with F1 in Schools’ challenge of designing, testing and manufacturing a miniature F1 car of the future. Matthew Miller, Director, SAE Foundation & Pre-Professional Programs, said of today’s announcement, “We are pleased to partner with F1 in Schools by hosting their national finals competition during the Formula SAE event in Michigan.”