IAV engineers Nayan Patel and Ryan Beehler volunteered day and evening hours to coach students from local high schools involved with the Square One Education Network.  They worked with a team to rebuild a battery-operated children’s Jeep, equipped with sensors and GPS to program it to travel and perform tasks autonomously.

The summit brought together educators, University Professors and industry leaders from Ford Motor Company, Mahle and IAV Automotive Engineering.  Students were interviewed in a panel to share their perspective on project based education, as well as sharing who and what inspired their career path.  Special guest speakers included Lou Glazer, Economist from Michigan Future Inc., and NASA Astronaut David Leestma.

Joe Lemieux, Business Unit Director of Energy Management at IAV, accepted the award highlighting the importance of STEM education in today’s industry.  “Students have an advantage working with organizations such as Square One, and it will be beneficial on resumes and in their career path.  IAV is pleased to give internship opportunities with hands on project experience,” states Lemieux.

IAV Group is an engineering and technical consultancy servicing the global automotive industry with over 4,500 employees worldwide. As a recognized leader in the specification, design, development, validation and production launch of advanced vehicle and powertrain systems, IAV Automotive Engineering  deploys a leading team of technical experts, engineering tools and program processes from its North American technical center in Northville, Michigan.