WARRENDALE, Pa. – Four students from Thaon-les-Vosges, France, were named the Winners of the Honeywell/SAE International Student Automotive Design Challenge this week.
 
The educational program relies upon employee volunteers from Honeywell to help foster a desire to learn more about science in middle school students in schools around the world. They use the "A World In Motion" curriculum, which was developed by the SAE Foundation and is a past winner of the National Science Foundation's prestigious Public Service Award.
 
The program integrates science, math, technology, social studies and language arts by assigning students to a mock corporation to research, design, test and build electric gear-driven toy cars. Students work in design teams of four to build a vehicle and write proposals, draw sketches, model designs and develop plans that meet the specific set of design requirements identified in market research.
 
More than 300 students from 10 schools in nine countries participated in the program this year. Countries included China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Switzerland, Romania and the U.S.
 
Honeywell/SAE Student Automotive Design Challenge began in 2008. The students shared their work with their global peers via an online forum hosted on the program's website. The forum enabled teachers, students and volunteers to post pictures of their classes, e-mail each other and share information about their work.
 
More than 50 volunteers from Honeywell participated in the program in 2011.
 
The 2011 SADC winners include:
1.    Cosmic Turtle Team from Thaon-les-Vosges, France.
2.    (R)evolution Car AG from Glinde, Germany.
3.    Four Leaf Clover from Shanghai, China
 
"The Student Automotive Design Challenge is as much fun for our employees as it is for the students," said Joe Toubes, vice president of communications at Honeywell Transportation Systems. "As one of the world's leading technology companies, we hope to inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators through programs like this that make science and math education attractive to students."
 
"We want to congratulate the winners of the 2011 Honeywell/SAE Student Automotive Design Challenge. They should be extremely proud of their accomplishments," Matthew Miller, director, SAE Foundation and Pre-College Programs, said. "But the reality is that all of the students are winners, as are the volunteers who made the program happen. Through Honeywell/SAE Student Automotive Design Challenge, we were able to help give these students the knowledge and tools they need to understand why science and math skills are important and how they can help create positive and lasting change. I want to thank Honeywell for their support and partnership, without which none of this would have been possible."