Delphi Partners with Flint Southwestern Academy For Year 2000 FIRST Competition
15 December 1999
Delphi Partners with Flint Southwestern Academy For Year 2000 FIRST Competition FLINT, Mich., Dec. 15 -- Delphi Automotive Systems
engineers will be working with students and teachers at Flint
Southwestern Academy in a nationwide high-tech sporting event that pits robots
designed and built by teams of students, teachers and corporate engineers in
head-to-head competition.
Delphi is sponsoring the Flint Southwestern Academy team's participation
in the ninth annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology) robotics competition.
Each year the competition (or game) is different from the previous year.
This year's competition will be revealed on Jan. 8, 2000, in Manchester, N.H.,
at the official kick-off ceremony. At the kick-off, each team receives an
identical kit that includes a microprocessor, radio-frequency transmitters and
receivers, electrical components, motors, batteries and other hardware.
Immediately following the ceremony, high school students gather with their
corporate or university sponsors to begin the six-week process of designing,
building and testing their robot in preparation for the regional and national
competitions.
There are 10 regional competitions leading up to the national championship
competition held at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center in Orlando, Fla., in
April. Competitions are complete with spectators, referees, cheerleaders and
time clocks.
FIRST founder Dean Kamen describes FIRST as "varsity excitement on the
challenging academic playing field with all the intensity of the last two
minutes of an NBA or NFL game."
Donald L. Runkle, president of Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems,
stressed the importance of creating an environment that makes "heroes" out of
engineers and scientists. "Our partnership with Flint Southwestern Academy
will expose students to new career choices. It will be fun for the students
and teachers, and it will help our engineers remember why they do what they
do," said Runkle.
"Delphi is a technology leader worldwide, and partnering with the FIRST
organization and local high school students will help us continue maintaining
our reputation as an industry leader of automotive systems and components,"
Runkle said. "Our competitive edge is dependent upon our ability to
continually build our recruiting candidate pool for years to come. FIRST
allows us to build on that strength through cooperative partnerships between
Delphi and area schools, which helps America's students excel in science and
technology."
The dean of Flint Southwestern Academy, Richard Randels, believes
students' problem-solving skills will be greatly enhanced through this
partnership with Delphi. "Flint Southwestern Academy students and staff are
very excited about being a part of the FIRST team," Randels said. "FIRST
gives students a chance to put skills and knowledge learned in the classroom
to work in an exciting way. Students are becoming creative problem solvers as
they develop their team-building skills.
"We are grateful to Delphi for their support of this outstanding
educational opportunity, and for making it possible for us to participate,"
Randels said. "Delphi's long-term commitment to projects like FIRST support
our students and nation's future, andthis
year."
Flint Southwestern Academy's FIRST team includes 35 students and seven
teachers and administrators. This year, eight Delphi Energy engineers will be
involved in some aspect of the partnership.
Kettering University also announced its selection for next year's
competition. For the third year Kettering University is sponsoring Powers
Catholic High School and students from the Genesee Intermediate School
District.
Also at today's media conference were representatives from Carman-
Ainsworth, Fenton and Northwestern Edison High Schools. Students from Carman-
Ainsworth, Delphi Energy's partner for 1999, demonstrated their robot's
capabilities to faculty, students and media. Each of these local high schools
have expressed a strong interest in finding sponsors for their 2000 FIRST
teams. Corporations or universities interested in sponsoring these schools
should contact the school administration office.
Delphi Automotive Systems , with headquarters in Troy, Mich.,
USA, is a world leader in automotive component and systems technology.
Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal &
Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide
comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has
approximately 201,000 employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing
sites, 38 joint ventures, 51 customer centers and sales offices, and 27
technical centers in 37 countries. Regional headquarters are located in
Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Delphi can be found on the Internet at
http://www.delphiauto.com .
