Wayne State University receives $407.8 million in engineering tools from Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education

Engineering graduates at Wayne State University will be better prepared for careers in Michigan's emerging high tech and global economy thanks to Wayne State's selection as a member of Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE), a joint philanthropic initiative of General Motors, EDS, Hewlett-Packard, Siemens UGS PLM Software and Sun Microsystems.

Officials from the five companies announced their latest partner university and multi-million dollar in-kind contribution during a special ceremony and all-day program on the Wayne State campus today. The software and hardware have a commercial value of $407.8 million, making it the largest ever in-kind contribution received in Wayne State history.

The PACE corporate alliance has worked together since 1999 to support academic institutions worldwide with computer-based engineering tools to prepare designers, engineers, and analysts with the skills to compete in the future.

"Some software programs in the suites of design simulation and modeling tools provided by PACE have been an essential part of some Wayne State engineering courses. But the PACE contribution will allow the College of Engineering and its faculty to integrate the entire PACE toolbox throughout our curriculum, starting with basic first-year engineering classes," said Ralph Kummler, dean of Engineering.

"Wayne State's participation in PACE strengthens the university's role in Michigan's transition to a high-tech economy," said WSU President Irvin D. Reid. "The tools we receive from PACE will enable us to prepare the skilled engineering, manufacturing and design workforce needed in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Our selection as a PACE institution greatly enhances Wayne State's ability to educate the men and women who will lead Michigan to economic prosperity."

The comprehensive modeling and simulation tools from PACE allow Wayne State engineering students to use the latest software employed by major corporations, enhancing their ability to work in teams and design projects ranging from new automotive or highway safety systems to real-time cancer screening tools.

Wayne State joins 40 strategically selected universities around the world as a PACE Institution, including institutions in China, Germany, Sweden and Mexico, as well as five others in Michigan - Kettering University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University and the College for Creative Studies.

"With its close geographic proximity to the auto industry's operations, Wayne State has played an important role in automotive research and development, as well as providing a practical automotive engineering education for future engineers," said Ralph Szygenda, group vice president and chief information officer for General Motors. "We also recognize its strong emphasis on collaboration in research and instruction across all engineering departments, as well as external colleges, demonstrated by the flourishing of outstanding degree and research programs in alternative energy technologies, smart sensors, biomedical imaging, automotive engineering, nanotechnology and global industrial systems. The integration of the PACE tools into this education and research culture can only greatly enhance it."

The PACE participation by Wayne State is expected to foster collaborations beyond campus. Wayne State's Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team has already begun discussions with the College for Creative Studies (CCS), a nearby PACE Institution. "We are looking at the opportunity for CCS design students to work in tandem with our students to include styling as one of the design objectives for the Wayne State Formula SAE car," said Michele Grimm, associate dean of academic affairs, and the lead engineering integrator of the PACE tool box.

"We know students at Wayne State are already being prepared for the global economy," said Mike O'Hair, vice president and regional general manager, GM Account, EDS. "By integrating the PACE tool box throughout its engineering curriculum, the Wayne State College of Engineering is upgrading its ability to train a new generation of engineers well-versed in today's technology and ready to hit the ground running when joining an employer in any sector."

"UGS PLM Software is pleased to participate in bringing Wayne State University into the PACE family," said Dave Shirk, executive vice president, Global Marketing, UGS PLM Software. "Today's leading manufacturing and technology companies compete on the basis of time to market, product cost, quality and innovation. We hope our support for Wayne State's engineering curriculum will prepare its graduates even more for the real world."

The PACE software includes UGS NXTM, UGS TeamcenterTM Engineering, UGS Teamcenter Community, and UGS TecnomatixTM; MSC Adams and MD Nastran; Altair HyperWorks; FLUENT/GAMBIT; iSIGHT; and LS-DYNA.

In addition to the educational contributions made by the five PACE partners, several additional "PACE Contributors and Supporters" have embraced the PACE mission, and contribute valuable products and services to the PACE institutions. They are 3Dconnexion, Altair Engineering, Autodesk, Autoweb, Engineous, Fluent, Inc., Gamma Technologies, Livermore Software Technology Corporation, MSC.Software, and Wacom.

For more information on PACE, visit their website at: www.pacepartners.org