DENSO North America Foundation has given Kettering University $50,000 to support Automotive and SAE Motorsports teams. Doug Patton, senior vice president of Engineering for DENSO North America, and Melissa Smith, program manager for Community Affairs at DENSO, were on campus Sept. 7 to deliver the gift and meet with students and faculty from the Mechanical Engineering Department.

The gift will be used for costs associated with operating the SAE Collegiate Design Series competition teams, including Formula Race Car, Mini Baja, Clean Snowmobile and Aero Design, in addition to maintaining the facilities these teams share with the Automotive Specialty program of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Kettering.

The SAE Collegiate Design competitions are a program of SAE International focused on giving engineering students an opportunity to put their classroom training to use solving real-life technical problems. The Automotive Specialty at Kettering University is designed to provide students with introductory knowledge of automotive engineering including powertrain, vehicle performance and chassis design.

Kettering’s long-standing relationship with DENSO North America Foundation dates to 2001. DENSO is also a Kettering cooperative education partner, employing approximately a dozen students in two locations.

The DENSO North America Foundation was established in January 2001 to extend the leadership of DENSO Corporation, Kariya, Japan. The company is committed to economic growth and a healthier society through the development of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.

The Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of higher education in engineering and related business programs through grant making to colleges and universities throughout North America.   A priority is given to programs that demonstrate technological innovation and advance automotive engineering.  The Foundation also provides disaster relief grants through the American Red Cross to aid persons and communities in which DENSO Corporation operates.

DENSO is a leading supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and components for all the world's major automakers, operates in 35 countries and regions with approximately 126,000 employees. On its web site the company states: “Through our focus on interacting with local communities, we have been involved with environmental and social endeavors along with other activities to help contribute to a better world.”