The MathWorks Collaborates with General Motors and the Department of Energy to Jumpstart Year Two of Challenge X
NATICK, Mass.--Aug. 1, 20051, 2005--| Student Teams Gather at The MathWorks for Advanced Training in Methods to Test, Validate, and Implement Year One Vehicle System Designs |
The MathWorks today announced that it will kick off year two of Challenge X, a three-year student engineering competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors Corporation (GM) , by hosting the participating university teams for a hands-on training program at the Company's Natick, Mass. headquarters on August 11-13. The training program will provide student teams with advanced classes and workshops on Model-Based Design using The MathWorks MATLAB(R) and Simulink(R) technical computing software, which is fundamental throughout the three-year competition.
Year two of the Challenge X competition requires the student teams to engineer the virtual propulsion vehicle design they developed in year one into a Chevrolet Equinox. Students will use MathWorks tools to test and validate their powertrain and subsystem designs and to integrate them into the Chevrolet Equinox.
"By using The MathWorks software and Model-Based Design throughout the three years of Challenge X, from model development in year one, to testing, verification, and implementation in years two and three, students are actually mirroring the same applications and processes that advanced automotive engineers use every day," said Jack Little, president and CEO, The MathWorks. "These students are not just participating in a ground-breaking competition, they are gaining state-of-the-art, hands-on technical knowledge that will better prepare them for industry."
Student teams participating in the Challenge X competition are charged with re-engineering a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox, a compact SUV that already provides competitive fuel economy, with three goals: reduce energy consumption, decrease emissions, and maintain the performance and utility features of the vehicle. The MathWorks has donated its industry-leading software tools to the student teams to create, simulate, and analyze models for vehicle design and subsystem control. In addition, The MathWorks provides technical support and mentoring to student teams throughout the three-year competition. As part of the ongoing partnership, the student teams will co-present several papers with The MathWorks at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2006 World Congress.
"Working in a single design environment using Model-Based Design proved essential to capturing our team's collective insights and was key to our team's performance during the competition," said Matt Stevens, student team leader of the University of Waterloo, who took top honors in year one of the competition. "Because we have had great success using The MathWorks software, we are anxious to learn advanced methods that will bring our designs to life throughout the rest of the competition."
The university teams participating in the 2005-2007 Challenge X competition are:
Michigan Technological University University of Michigan Mississippi State University University of Tennessee Ohio State University University of Texas at Austin Pennsylvania State University University of Tulsa Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology University of Waterloo San Diego State University University of Wisconsin-Madison Texas Tech University Virginia Tech University of Akron West Virginia University University of California, Davis
About Challenge X
The Challenge X program was established by DOE and GM to challenge university teams to explore vehicle solutions that will minimize energy consumption and reduce emissions. The three-year program follows GM's Global Vehicle Development Process. Year one focused on modeling, simulation, and testing of the powertrain and vehicle subsystems. In years two and three, students will integrate their advanced powertrain and subsystems into the Chevrolet Equinox.
Competitions are held at the end of each academic year to showcase the teams' learning and vehicle development.
About The MathWorks
The MathWorks is the world's leading developer of technical computing software for engineers and scientists in industry, government, and education. With an extensive product set based on MATLAB and Simulink, The MathWorks provides software and services to solve challenging problems and accelerate innovation in automotive, aerospace, communications, financial services, biotechnology, electronics, instrumentation, process, and other industries.
The MathWorks was founded in 1984 and employs more than 1,000 people worldwide, with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts. For additional information, visit www.mathworks.com.
MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, Handle Graphics, and Real-Time Workshop are registered trademarks, and TargetBox is a trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. Other product or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
For more information on Challenge X, please visit www.challengex.org.