Society of Automotive Engineers to become a campus partner of Clemson-ICAR

(DETROIT, Mich. and CLEMSON, S.C.) — Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (Clemson-ICAR) announced today that SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) International will become a campus partner of Clemson-ICAR at its Greenville, S.C., location. The announcement came during the 2005 SAE World Congress in Detroit.

Clemson-ICAR Executive Director Bob Geolas praised the mutually beneficial partnership as a significant step in the development of Clemson-ICAR’s goals.

“With its 89,000-strong membership, SAE is the flagship professional engineering organization for the automotive industry. Its presence on our campus and the partnership we are forging by this proximity send a distinct message to the industry that Clemson-ICAR is serious in its aspirations to be the premier automotive and motorsports research and educational facility in the world,” he said.

SAE President for 2005, J. E. “Ted” Robertson, P. E., said the organization’s presence on the Clemson-ICAR campus offers unique benefits and opportunities for his organization.

“Clemson-ICAR and the South Carolina Upstate region are critical and exciting players in the automotive industry,” he said. “The investment of BMW and other automotive leaders in the region, and specifically in Clemson-ICAR, tells us we are joining another winning team. SAE is committed to servicing the industry. The association with Clemson University in our professional development and education programs will bring additional value.”

Clemson-ICAR is located on a 250-acre campus in Greenville, S.C., in the heart of the I-85 Corridor, approximately halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. Its initial corporate partners include BMW, Michelin, IBM and Microsoft. BMW’s Information Technology Research Center, the first facility on the site, will open this summer; and Clemson University’s Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2006, offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in automotive engineering with an emphasis on systems integration.

Additional information is available at www.clemson.edu/autoresearch/.