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Miami Area High School Students to Present Their 'Dream' Vehicles

25 March 1999

Miami Area High School Students to Present Their 'Dream' Vehicles During Finals Competition

    MIAMI, March 25 -- Student teams from four 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 the Museum of Science and
Space on Thursday, March 25, 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 four finalist schools include: Coconut Creek High School, Forest Hills
High School, Miami Edison High School, and Suncoast Community High School.
    Sixteen Seattle 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 Seattle's area
finals.  Student teams have been working on their "dream" vehicles since the
beginning of the school year.