May 13, 2004

Ford Engineering Week includes robot competition

A free public lecture on Ford Motor Company’s 2005 GT sports car, vehicles and student research projects on display and robots going head-to-head are all part of the fourth annual Ford Engineering Week May 18 to 22 on the Evanston campus.

The week promotes innovative technology and highlights the creative design work being done by students at the McCormick School. Ford engineers will join students to share their expertise and bring industry relevance to the classroom. 

Posters outlining undergraduate student research projects along with the architectural model of the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center will be on display in the lobby of the Technological Institute from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday (May 18). In addition, a variety of Ford vehicles will be on display in front of Tech.

New this year is the “BIG” game — pitting a student team, a Ford team and a McCormick administration and faculty team against one another in a spirited quiz show that blends Family Feud and Jeopardy. Prior to this event, 12 student organizations will exhibit their team spirit and team skills in mini competitions for the chance to win a $1,000 prize and play the Ford and McCormick teams in the finale at 5 p.m. Wednesday (May 19) in Room M345 of Tech.

One of the week’s highlights will be “Creating a High Performance Super Car: The 2005 Ford GT,” a presentation by Ford’s Matthew J. Zaluzec, advanced manufacturing manager for the 2005 GT, at 5 p.m. next Thursday (May 20) in LR2, Tech.

The week will conclude Saturday (May 22) when 32 autonomous robots go head-to-head competing for a $4,000 first prize in McCormick’s 14th Annual Undergraduate Design Competition from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Blomquist Recreation Center.