DENSO North America Foundation awards grant to support Warrior Racing

Wayne State University received a $10,000 grant from DENSO, the world's second-largest mobility supplier, to support the Warrior Racing Formula SAE student organization. The grant, made possible by the DENSO North America Foundation (DNAF), is one of 26 grants awarded by the company in 2019 to support STEM programs at colleges and universities throughout North America.

Grants were awarded to various student projects that promote and enhance innovative thinking, problem solving, team building and hands-on training for the application of automotive technologies. With this grant, Warrior Racing plans to invest in new technologies for its shop and its 2020 vehicle, RW13.

"These funds allow us to purchase new equipment, from machine tooling to a 3D printer, that we use to print both prototype and finished parts," said Collin Gillespie, president of Warrior Racing. "The grant also gives us the opportunity to invest in the Drexler family of differentials, opening up new possibilities for performance that the car wasn't able to achieve before."

The Warrior Racing team is composed of undergraduate and graduate students from different engineering disciplines and other majors across the university. In Formula SAE, the team campaigns an open-wheel race car against schools from all over the world. Competitions test the dynamic performance of cars as well as the collective technical knowledge of the team.

Since being established in 2003, Warrior Racing has become one of the most active and prominent student organizations within the College of Engineering. With a record-high 59 group members, the team competed in the annual Formula SAE Michigan, a four-day event at Michigan International Speedway in May 2019, and took 55th place out of 120 teams. The following month, Warrior Racing placed 19th out of 80 teams at Formula SAE Lincoln in Nebraska, and in October the team took first place at the Lawrence Tech Grand Prix.

"The DENSO grant lets our team focus more on designing and manufacturing the car rather than having to worry about funds for the car itself. This is huge to our team, given the fast pace nature of the FSAE build cycle," said Gillespie. "Being able to spend more time on designs really enables you to focus on being an engineer, which is what this competition is all about."

Warrior Racing won the Lawrence Tech Grand Prix in October.
Warrior Racing won the Lawrence Tech Grand Prix in October.

DNAF has supported STEM education through grants at colleges and universities since 2001, enabling students to access tools, technology and experiences that better prepare them for technical careers after graduation. DENSO education grant proposals are invite-only and evaluated based on technical merit, student experience and alignment with industry needs.

"Investing in tomorrow's workforce is critical to ensuring we have individuals who are equipped to help DENSO fulfill its vision of creating software and products that enhance safety and reduce environmental impact," said Bill Foy, senior vice president of engineering at DENSO and a DNAF board member. "Through these grants, we hope to create a generation of innovators who inspire new value for the future of mobility."

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About Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering nearly 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 27,000 students. For more information about engineering at Wayne State University, visit engineering.wayne.edu.

About DENSO
DENSO is a $48.3 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 221 facilities in 35 countries to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company's 170,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 9.3 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global.

In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs over 27,000 engineers, researchers and skilled workers across 51 sites in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the U.S., DENSO employs more than 17,700 people across 14 states (and the District of Columbia) and 41 sites. In fiscal year ending March 31, 2019, DENSO in North America generated $10.9 billion in consolidated sales. DENSO is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion inside the company and beyond - a principle that brings unique perspectives together, bolsters innovation and pushes DENSO forward. Join us, and craft not only how the world moves, but also your career: www.densocareers.com. For more information, go to https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

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