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The money will provide a fellowship for one graduate student every year. Distinguished students will be selected by a committee with input from Stäubli.

"Companies supporting the fellowship program will be supporting a unique student population composed of top-notch engineering talents from different parts of the world," said Mohammed Omar, coordinator of the automotive-engineering graduate program. "This generation of students is being trained on the state-of-the-art technologies, facilities and acquiring unique technical skills along with business and cultural training."

There are 55 students--35 master's students and 20 PhD students--enrolled in Clemson's automotive-engineering program, which started in 2006. The students have graduated from 17 different universities from 10 different countries. Students can pursue specialties in four areas: vehicular electronics, automotive-manufacturing systems, power trains and alternative engines and vehicle performance and development

The program also requires six months in an industrial and international internship and proficiency in a foreign language, as well as courses in business administration and policy-making.

"The international internship is built into the program to provide the students with the platform to practice their foreign language and experience cross-cultural training. This requirement enables the student to function effectively and successfully in a global environment within an international company," Omar said.

Students have held internships at companies such as BMW, Goodyear, Magna, Lang Mekra, Okuma and Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"Stäubli Corporation has always focused its strategy and efforts on developing the most innovative and advanced products in the world," said Stäubli CEO Yves Stäubli. "Our sponsorship of the CU-ICAR program represents the ongoing commitment of Stäubli to help set new benchmark standards in the consumer and high-performance automotive industries. This dedication will help to ensure the current success and future development of the next generation of automotive technologies which will benefit all humanity."

For more information about Clemson's graduate programs in automotive engineering, please visit www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/AutoEng.

About Stäubli
Stäubli is a mechatronics-solution provider with three dedicated divisions: textile machinery, connectors and robotics. With a workforce of 3,000, Stäubli has a presence in 24 countries and agents in 50 countries around the world with its North American headquarters in Duncan.

Visit www.staubli.com for more information on the company and its products.

Consignment of $1.1 million of Okuma machine tools and $400,000 in training and support from Morris South will benefit post graduate-level education and research in areas that include automotive, industrial automation, production launches and proposal development.

Okuma America Corp. is the US-based affiliate of Okuma Corp., a world leader in the development of computer numeric controls and machining technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Okuma and regional distributor Morris South will provide equipment and support services for the automotive engineering research and graduate education programs in the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center (CGEC), the academic anchor for CU-ICAR. Okuma also will provide an annual internship with the company for a student enrolled in the automotive engineering graduate program.

CGEC Director Tom Kurfess announced the first Okuma intern, Chan Wong, already is working in the company's US headquarters in Charlotte, NC. He noted that with locations throughout the world, Okuma offers students outstanding internship opportunities.

Instead of donating specific equipment, Okuma is providing state-of-the-art equipment in a consignment agreement that will continuously upgrade equipment for new versions as improvements are made. The arrangement also enables the CU-ICAR team to effectively tailor their capabilities to meet industry needs by working with Okuma to identify and provide the best possible equipment for newly initiated research and education projects.

"Okuma is committed to making sure our students and faculty have access to the latest technology," Kurfess said. "They have allowed us to avoid obsolescence, one of the biggest problems we face in terms of equipment. We do not have to dispose of or replace equipment; they will update as new generations of this machinery become available. The assurance that they will be working on the latest equipment from one of the world's most outstanding machine tool companies is extremely important for our current and potential students, and it is also important for those who will be hiring our graduates. We are very grateful for the very generous terms of this agreement."

The Okuma equipment will be used in both research and education programs, according to Kurfess. Research applications will include machining, metrology and machine-integration research projects--such as National Science Foundation and US Army machining projects--as well as serving as available resources for developing new proposals. The equipment will be integrated directly with graduate engineering classes such as automotive manufacturing processes, production preparation and launch and industrial automation. The faculty will use the equipment to provide demonstrations and data to reinforce class concepts.

After spending many years in the automotive industry, Bob Kral, vice president of operations for Okuma America, sees extensive value in automotive industry research.

"As a car guy, I know how important it is to find those new innovations that break through the technological barriers we are particularly facing now in the domestic market. Okuma appreciates the opportunity to be a part of a premier global initiative that supports research for advanced manufacturing and promotes higher learning."

Kurfess said the partnership with Okuma and Morris South will improve the automotive engineering graduate program significantly by providing practical reinforcement of modeling and control concepts.

"It improves our capabilities to enable research in advanced machining and machining control areas, which is critical to automotive manufacturing," he said. "Through the expert support the companies will provide students will also interact with some of the machine tool industry's top control-system developers. Additionally, domestic and international internships are a critical part of our graduate program, and this partnership offers our students tremendous opportunity. We look forward to working with these outstanding companies."

For more information about Clemson's graduate programs in automotive engineering, please visit www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/AutoEng/index.php.

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Okuma America Corp.
As a world leader in the development of computer numeric controls and machining technology, Okuma machines are known for their power, control, reliability and repeatability. Okuma offers vertical and horizontal machining centers, lathes, double-column machining centers, grinders and wheel machines to meet a wide range of industry needs.

Located in Charlotte, Okuma America is the US-based affiliate of Okuma Corp. which was founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan. Okuma builds machines that have the balance of power, speed and size to meet most any application--machines that can hold tight tolerances, perform sophisticated cuts and create precision-crafted parts. Only Okuma engineers and builds each component on every machine, including the Automatic Tool Changer, motor/drive/encoder, base casting, turret, spindle and the Microsoft Windows-based THINC-OSP control with its 40 GB open architecture plug-and-play capability.

Providing superior service and support through the Okuma CARE program, 44 distributor partners also provide One Source sales, service, training, engineering and more throughout North and South America. Okuma initiated Partners in THINC to meet the evolving needs of industry as a one-stop facility and concept. More than 30 collaborating partners from ABB to Zoller work under the same roof to provide advanced-technology solutions to customers.

Visit www.okuma.com or www.partnersinthinc.com for more information.

Morris South
Located in Charlotte, Morris South, Machine Tool Systems has been serving Southeast manufacturers for more than 25 years. Morris South, Machine Tool Systems offers the full line of Okuma products; fully automated turnkey solutions, manual lathes, mills, electronic lathes, transfer equipment and CMMs. Visit www.morrissouth.com for more information.

CU-ICAR
The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research is an advanced-technology research campus where university, industry and government organizations engage in synergistic collaboration. With more than $200 million in commitments, it represents the ultimate public-private partnership, directly fueling a knowledge base critical to the automotive industry.

CU-ICAR is strategically located in the rapidly growing southeastern automotive and motorsports region. The 250-acre campus in Greenville, SC, is midway between Charlotte and Atlanta on the Interstate 85 corridor. This is where Clemson University offers the nation's only PhD in automotive engineering, contributing to the University's continued climb in national reputation. For more information, visit www.cuicar.com.

These fellowships offer PhD students individual supplements of $10,000 a year in addition to the graduate stipend and benefits package. The awards are performance based and renewable for up to three years.

Students who receive these fellowships will study and conduct research at the new Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center (CGEC) at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. The CGEC is a 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility housing a set of automotive testing resources valued at over $10 million. The CGEC provides graduate students the best possible educational experience as they prepare for international internships, and ultimately, careers in the automotive sector (OEM and suppliers). The facility is home to advanced automotive engineering research and development in conjunction with international corporate partners, including BMW, Michelin, Timken, Sun Microsystems and Mazda.

Sponsored by the Mazda Foundation, the fellowships will be available in Fall 2008. You can learn more about the program by going to www.ces.clemson.edu/me/automotive/ or by contacting our graduate student coordinator at tierraj@clemson.edu or 864-283-7230.

The announcement was made at the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center on the CU-ICAR campus with Mazda representatives.

The Mazda Foundation will provide an initial pledge of $30,000 to CU-ICAR for the Mazda Annual Graduate Fellowships program. The fellowships are performance-based and renewable for up to three years for a potential total of $90,000. In addition, the company will donate a CX-7 crossover SUV, drive trains, sub-assemblies and other components to be used as learning tools by Clemson students and faculty.

"We are delighted to welcome Mazda to CU-ICAR," said Esin Gulari, dean of the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson. "The strength and visibility of the Mazda brand worldwide makes this a key partnership, and we look forward to having our students interact and learn from this automotive leader. This connection with Mazda will open many doors for them as they continue into their careers. The fellowships are critical to the success of our program and the availability of Mazda automotive products for real-world study is invaluable. We look forward to a long and productive relationship."

As part of the agreement, three $10,000 fellowships will be provided to graduate students majoring in automotive engineering through the department of mechanical engineering within the College of Engineering and Science.

"We are thrilled to affiliate with this dynamic new research facility with support from both the Mazda Foundation and Mazda North American Operations. The work that the CU-ICAR graduate students undertake now will lay the foundation for groundbreaking advancements in the automotive industry in the future," said Robert Davis, senior vice president, Product Development and Quality, for Mazda North American Operations and a 1985 Clemson graduate.

Known for creating cars that are stylish, insightful and spirited, as well as affordable and fun to drive, Mazda infuses the "soul of a sports car" into every vehicle it builds, Davis said.

Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts, accessories and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc., located in Ontario, and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

As the corporate foundation of Mazda North American Operations, the Mazda Foundation has awarded nearly $6 million to worthwhile causes across the United States since its inception and initial awards in 1992. Reflecting Mazda's commitment to youth and education, the new fellowship program at CU-ICAR joins several other college scholarship programs sponsored by the Mazda Foundation. These include scholarship programs at Dillard University and University of North Carolina at Pembroke as well as a scholarship program funded through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

CU-ICAR is a new model for economic development in South Carolina, matching Clemson's strengths in automotive engineering with the state's strong automotive economic cluster. Located in the heart of the Interstate 85 corridor, midway between Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA, CU-ICAR is ideally situated in the Southeastern automotive and motorsports economy.

CU-ICAR is a 250-acre "technopolis" where BMW, Michelin, Timken, Sun Microsystems and other corporate partners are joining with Clemson to focus on automotive research and other transportation and advanced-manufacturing issues.

The state of South Carolina also is a key partner, having created legislation to support economic development and innovation. For example, the Research Centers of Economic Excellence Endowed Chairs Program matches private funding to recruit top faculty. CU-ICAR has four endowed chairs created through the program. Three of these chairs, along with five junior faculty positions, have been filled. These faculty members, along with other faculty from the main campus, form the academic team for one of the nation's most exceptional master's and doctoral degree programs in automotive engineering. The doctoral program is one of the first in the country.

For more information about Clemson's graduate programs in automotive engineering, visit www.grad.clemson.edu/programs/AutoEng/index.php.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) Tuesday became Clemson University's first Motorsports Innovation Partner, providing the company preferred access to faculty, students, facilities and equipment related to motorsports and automotive research.

DEI Chief Executive Officer Teresa Earnhardt and Clemson University President James F. Barker signed a memorandum of understanding to create the formal research and higher education partnership.

Initially, the unique partnership will be driven by proprietary motorsports engineering research projects involving Clemson University faculty, researchers and graduate students, along with the funding of student scholarships and internship opportunities.

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation will fund an annual undergraduate scholarship honoring the memory of Dale Earnhardt Sr. for students interested in motorsports and automotive engineering. Clemson officials have selected William Howard Bostic III of Sissonville, West Virginia, as the first recipient of the Dale Earnhardt Motorsports Scholarship. Bostic is a rising senior majoring in mechanical engineering. (See related story.)

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation will provide $13,000 annually for a total minimum pledge of $39,000 to establish a three-year undergraduate scholarship for a student in the College of Engineering and Science. In addition, students selected to receive the scholarship will be eligible for internships with DEI.

Teresa Earnhardt said the relationship with Clemson is in keeping with the missions of both DEI and the Dale Earnhardt Foundation to foster education and to assure that the company and the motorsports industry will benefit from highly motivated, technically competent leaders and employees in the future.

"The work to create the relationship that formally begins today started more than a year and a half ago," said Earnhardt. "That investment in time and effort has produced a partnership with unlimited potential.

"In Clemson's International Center for Automotive Research, we have the resources of a world-class institution with the capability and commitment to help us develop technical innovations that will continue the winning tradition of Dale Earnhardt Inc."

She said, "I have no doubt that the work of Clemson University and Dale Earnhardt Inc. will produce remarkable results and years from now will be considered the model for how a racing organization and a research university can collaborate for the sake of progress.

"The partnership also provides a great match for the mission of The Dale Earnhardt Foundation. The Dale Earnhardt Motorsports Scholarship will support the education of deserving students and it will be these motivated, talented individuals who will continue the legend."

Clemson is recognized as a leader in motorsports and automotive engineering education. Its undergraduate program in mechanical engineering offers students real-world experiences through a competitive curriculum augmented by a cooperative education and internship program. Students also can compete in two automotive design projects: SAE Mini-Baja and Formula SAE through the Society of Automotive Engineers. The Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center at the CU-ICAR campus in Greenville, S.C., offers the nation's only master's and doctoral graduate degree programs in automotive engineering and unique research and testing resources.

Barker emphasized the value to the university and its students in partnering with one of the motorsports industry's leading organizations.

"This partnership with DEI supports the avcademic focus of Clemson University to be a leader in automotive and motorsports education," he said. "This is also a great opportunity for Clemson to learn from a key leader in the motorsports industry. It is critical that we foster relationships with the companies that will employ the engineers of the future. Our students and faculty will gain immeasurable benefits from association with this world-class motorsports organization.

"We welcome Dale Earnhardt Inc. to the Clemson family and expect this to be just the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship," Barker added.

Ritchey said ARA will benefit the automotive industry by:

•  Being a single point of contact for information on automotive research and technology resources in the region
•  Connecting industry, researchers and funding organizations interested in automotive-related issues
• Helping provide solutions to complex and diverse problems facing the industry
• Providing a forum for the exchange of technical information and ideas
• Fostering industry partnerships with national laboratories and universities
• Expediting research and technology requests through pre-negotiated arrangements
• Assisting with non-disclosure agreements and intellectual property rights issues.

"Southeastern states rely on the automotive industry, both OEMs and suppliers, for so many of their manufacturing jobs today," said Dr. Dana C. Christensen, Associate Director for Energy and Engineering Sciences at ORNL.

Clemson is a leading innovator in the automotive research. In addition to offering graduate degrees in automotive engineering, Clemson is home to the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and to several endowed chairs in the field, made possible by the South Carolina's legislature's Research Centers of Economic Excellence Endowed Chairs initiative.

For more information about graduate programs in automotive engineering, see www.ces.clemson.edu/me/automotive.

For more information about CU-ICAR, visit www.clemson.edu/autoresearch.

CU-CCMS executive director, Dr. James H. Leylek, an internationally recognized expert in computational modeling and advanced methods development, said the center will offer one-stop shopping for clients in mobility industries that include automotive manufacturers and their suppliers, the aerospace industry, motorsports teams, heavy trucks, shipbuilders, aviation and gas turbine companies.  

"This center will reduce both the time and money that it takes to get an aerodynamically sound vehicle or an optimized engine into the marketplace," Leylek said. "Manufacturers can simulate multiple design options simultaneously by running computations overnight and build the final product only once, instead of the more traditional build-and-test cycles, which drive up cost and time." The ultimate goal of CU-CCMS is to help its clients reduce the overall design-cycle-time of their products.

The Sun Microsystems HPC at the heart of CU-CCMS is designed to help the center's technical staff handle all phases of multiple, large-scale simulations simultaneously. The system comprises grid computing, servers, storage, archive sub-systems and a dedicated high-speed InfiniBand fabric from Voltaire. In addition to its impressive throughput of more than 11 teraflops, this powerful engineering problem-solving system is well-balanced in both CPU usage and RAM, making it especially well-suited for dealing with computations encountered in vehicle aerodynamics and structural analysis programs.

Leylek says computations that traditionally required many weeks of around-the-clock processor time can now be completed in just a matter of hours using Sun's complete range of servers; software, including the Solaris 10 Operating System; services; and systems. He adds the center will provide a complete resolution center for just about any problem that can be computed, predicted and simulated in the transportation industry. CU-CCMS will enable engineers to conduct a large number of "what if"-type computational simulations that will result in ideas getting into products, and products making it to the marketplace, ahead of competition and at a reduced cost.  

The CU-CCMS start-up is funded through a $17 million alliance between Clemson University, the state of South Carolina and Sun Microsystems Inc. of Santa Clara, CA. The state has provided $8 million in matching funds for research infrastructure. One of the world's foremost HPC companies, Sun has contributed computing systems and start-up cash to CU-CCMS. Sun also has provided graduate fellowships for Ph.D. students in the Advanced Computational Research Laboratory (ACRL) and the department of mechanical engineering as well as other support and services.

"We are delighted to support Clemson in the opening of a world-class automotive research facility in South Carolina," said Kate Driscoll, area vice president for education, research, state and local government of Sun Microsystems. "As universities increasingly make research and economic development an important part of their institutional identities, Sun's high-performance computing systems provide the computational power to help them achieve a competitive edge while saving capital costs and expenses related to power consumption, cooling and floor space."

CU-CCMS technical staff will be located at temporary headquarters within the Timken Technology Center on the CU-ICAR campus, while the HPC system is housed at the Clemson Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) building in the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center on CCIT infrastructure. CU-CCMS will manage the HPC, with excess capacity available for use by university faculty. Plans are under way for a permanent CU-CCMS building in the Technology Neighborhood 2 on the CU-ICAR campus.

CU-ICAR is a new model for economic development in South Carolina, matching Clemson's strengths in automotive research with the state's strong automotive economic cluster. CU-ICAR is a 250-acre "technopolis" where BMW, Michelin, Timken, Sun Microsystems and other corporate partners are joining with Clemson to focus on automotive and motorsports research and other transportation issues. The State of South Carolina also is a key partner, having created legislation to support economic development and innovation.  

The Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center (CGEC), scheduled to open later this year, is the academic component of CU-ICAR, with the nation's only master's and doctoral degree programs in automotive engineering. CU-ICAR is located in the Interstate 85 corridor, midway between Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA. Connect to www.clemson.edu and www.cuicar.com for more information.

Tom Kurfess, the BMW Chair in Manufacturing at Clemson and director of the Carroll A. Campbell Graduate Engineering Center, which will house the automotive engineering program when the building is complete next year, said these tools make a testing and diagnostic platform like no other.

"I don't know of another university in the country - maybe in the world - that has this combination of equipment under one roof," he said. "Clemson students and faculty are fortunate indeed. We are very excited."

The equipment manufacturers are the newest supporters of the automotive industry to join the CU-ICAR team that includes BMW, Michelin, Timken and SAE.

MTS Systems Corporation, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., has more than four decades of ground vehicle testing expertise, providing full-vehicle, system and component-level testing solutions for a broad spectrum of vehicle development applications. Additional information on the company is available at www.mts.com.

Germany-based Weiss is a major producer of standard testing chambers and systems for environmental simulation worldwide. The product range comprises temperature and climate testing systems as well as test systems for simulated exposure to weather, temperature shock, corrosion and for long-time testing in various test chamber volumes. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.wut.com.

FEV is an independent engine and powertrain systems research, design and development company with facilities worldwide. FEV's Test Systems group from Auburn Hills, Mich., which specializes in the design and fabrication of engine test facilities and equipment, will provide an advanced, containerized engine test cell for use in gasoline and diesel engine research and development. Additional information is available at www.fev.com.

RENK Test Systems, with headquarters in Augsburg, Germany, along with their U.S. operation, RENK LABECO Test Systems Corporation in Mooresville, Ind., design and build turnkey test systems for research/development, production and quality assurance. Their activities focus on automotive, railway and aerospace industries. The company's web site is www.renk.biz.

Headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany, Carl Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology (IMT) is a member of the Carl Zeiss Group. It is the global leader in CNC coordinate measuring machines and complete, multi-dimensional metrology solutions for a wide variety of industrial sectors. Carl Zeiss is a globally leading international group of companies in the optical and opto-electronic industries. The company offers a spectrum of leading-edge solutions and products for semiconductor and optoelectronic technology, life sciences and health care, eye care and industrial applications. More information is available at www.zeiss.com/imt.

J&H Machine Tools, Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., is a machine tool distributor providing the manufacturing community with high-quality machine tools for metal removal and precision inspection. The company's web site is www.jhtools.com.

CU-ICAR equipment consultant George Trask, who coordinated the purchase, praised the companies for their generosity and for what their involvement means to CU-ICAR.

"These names are recognized throughout the automotive industry for their quality and commitment to excellence," he said. "Their combined support of CU-ICAR will be of great benefit to our students, and it also serves as a message to other potential industry partners that this program has the support of industry leaders."

Unique funding support

Just as the equipment is unique, so is the funding process that made it possible. South Carolina legislation provides state funds to match private dollars for higher education research infrastructure. In this case, the equipment manufacturers donated a portion of the cost, which Clemson was able to utilize as matching funds.

"This innovative legislation - the South Carolina Research Infrastructure Bond Act - leverages and enhances private support for higher education," Kurfess said. "Through the generosity of the manufacturers and the vision of the South Carolina legislation, we are able to provide our research teams with about $9.6 million worth of equipment for approximately $5 million. That is true investment in education.

"We have been very gratified by the response of the automotive industry to CU-ICAR, and we anticipate that as we tell the story of this outstanding public-private partnership that focuses on both education and economic development, there will be other companies who will want to join the CU-ICAR team. They will be most welcome," Kurfess added.

Similar legislation, the South Carolina Research Centers of Economic Excellence endowed chairs program, also provides state education lottery funds to match private funding to attract top-flight faculty. The CU-ICAR graduate program has four such chairs, including Kurfess.

The Campbell Graduate Engineering Center is the focal point for academic research and technology transfer in support of the automotive industry and offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in automotive engineering with emphasis in systems integration. Facilities for full-scale vehicle and component testing are integral to the program.

Clemson University Vice President for Research and Economic Development Chris Przirembel noted that the potential for the presence of the engine test cell equipment in the CGEC has already contributed to the Timken Company announcing a relocation of its power train group to the CU-ICAR campus, bringing high-paying new jobs to the Upstate. This equipment and these facilities will also bring automotive suppliers and motor sports companies to the CU-ICAR campus for testing and research purposes.

"This unique laboratory is very impressive," Przirembel said. "Students conversant with this technology will be invaluable to the industry."