CANTON, Mich., April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Yazaki North America, Inc.
(Yazaki), a leading supplier of vehicle power and data solutions to the
automotive industry, has made science education a priority with its
participation in several programs geared toward K-12 school children.
Yazaki engineers are fanning out all over the metropolitan Detroit area
offering their brainpower, experience, and love of science to school children
in grades K-12. Howard LeBeau, chief engineer, Electrical Distribution Systems
(EDS) leads Yazaki's involvement in SAE's World in Motion program, which
Yazaki has supported since 2003.
"In World in Motion, we provide kits and lessons designed to teach modern
science to students in concrete and fun ways," said LeBeau. "For instance, we
provide a toy car with a balloon for a motor and ask them to calculate how
much the balloon has to be inflated for the car to travel a certain distance.
The students run the test, collect data and calculate what they need to get a
desired effect to learn the basics of scientific method."
Yazaki's support of SAE's educational programming also extends to its
Micro-Electric Vehicle challenge, which it hosts at its Canton headquarters
each year. Engineers from Yazaki also volunteer their time to coach a team in
the FIRST (For Inspiration Science and Technology) program where school kids
build progressively advanced robots and pit them against each other in a
technological competition.
In addition to these and other programs developed outside Yazaki, the
company has established its own science and technology outreach program for
school children in partnership with the Detroit Public Schools' Detroit
Children's Museum.
The Yazaki Youth Connections (YYC) program was designed to plant the seeds
of interest in science and technology within the children of Detroit via
hands-on, minds-on learning experiences for students in grades 3-5. The
program also includes a Yazaki & You Teacher's Forum professional development
program for elementary and science teachers designed to expose them to
creative ways of infusing science and technology into their classrooms and a
Gadgets Competition involving engineering design concepts. Over 200 students
from Detroit public schools have completed the sessions since the program's
kick-off in December 2005.
"The guiding principle of YYC is to instill an interest in science and
technology in young people, cultivate that interest and then encourage them to
remain in this region," says Brandon Dent, senior manager of Yazaki's
Corporate Affairs & Communications department. "To that end, we're creating
opportunities for young people from our public schools to be exposed to a fun,
interesting view of science that they may never have had before."
Yazaki Corporation is a global leader in the research, development and
delivery of vehicle power and data solutions, as well as advanced electronic
technologies for vehicle applications. Yazaki produces electrical distribution
systems, fiber optics, instrumentation, solid-state power centers, connection
systems and electronics. Worldwide, the company employs over 160,000 people in
38 countries, 1,500 of whom are based in the company's North American
headquarters and research center campus in Canton, Michigan. For more
information on Yazaki, log onto http://www.yazaki-na.com .
SOURCE Yazaki North America, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.yazaki-na.com
CONTACT:
Kirsten Ussery of Yazaki North America, Inc.,
+1-734-983-1142; or Erin Mays of Franco Public Relations Group,
+1-313-567-5016, for Yazaki North America, Inc.
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