The M h n y- d d w w w w w w.. w w w w w Wedneday, 2009Dail Engineering freshman Payton Spaller works on a car for the Baja Racing Team. DETROIT THREE From Page 5B their pocketbooks a little harder, but they also realize the value of the things you can't account for in dol- lars and cents. As philanthropy has become increasingly difficult, many large auto industry firms have withdrawn some or all of their funding of stu- dent organizations like the Michi- gan Formula SAE and Michigan Baja Racing teams. But team leaders said automotive firms' struggles to find room in their budgets for sponsorship have led them to step up collaboration with student organizations, contributing their expertise, facilities and sup- plies instead of cash. Engineering junior Katherine Lapham, the business director for the University's Formula SAE team, said the organization used to rely on large donations fromcompanies like Ford to build its car and compete in annual events. Although Ford and other supporters have scaled back their donations in recent years, the team has compensated for those losses, often through collabora- tive efforts that have improved the team's relationship with sponsors, she said. "With GM and Ford cutting back with everything, a lot of their sup- plierscan help us more because they have a lot more free time," Lapham said. "They can't give us funding, but they can help us machine, or use their facilities. If we need some- thing, we can ask them." Michigan-based automotive firms that have scaled back their mon- etary donations have instead given the team free parts and technical support, often offering the chance to use new technology in exchange for their feedback. Others, like Pratt & Miller Engineering, a New Hud- son-based firm that specializes in performance vehicles, have offered the team access to its facilities after hours, Lapham said. Dean Guard, the coordinator of GM's University of Michigan rela- tions team, said he has pushed for the company to continue donating money to the University's vehicle teams despite the company's finan- cial struggles. That could change this year because of unprecedented pressure to cut back on costs, but Guard said the company would con- tinue to provide technical support regardless. "What does the future hold? I couldn't tell you. We're obviously in a very difficult time," Guard said. "But even if we suffer a financial obligations change, there's still an awful lot we can do with very little money and alot of our time." Automotive firms have continued to lend support to the student vehi- cleteams and collaborative research labs in part because the programs have become important incubators for future employees, Detroit Three engineers said. Fansler estimated that General Motors has hired more than a dozen University of Michigan students who worked on GM-sponsored research projects over the past decade. Many more have come from the student vehicle teams, said Dean Guard, chiefengineer ofGM's small- block V8 engine program. He said the automotive teams havebeen fer- tile recruiting ground because they allow GM to find engineers with the interest and passion to make them successful in the auto industry. "There are plenty of good engi- neers," Guard said. "We're not just looking for good engineers. We're looking for good engineers who are passionate about vehicles." Each year, the company offers multiple scholarships to members of the vehicle teams. Engineering senior Andrew Kneifel, who has received one of the scholarships twice, said he has seen auto industry officials continue to recruit on cam- pus even though the slow economy has prevented them from hiring at the usual rate. "It's been a great help to my per- sonal educational expenses, but also I see them building these relation- ships with students, coming back to career fairs," Kneifel said. "They're still trying to develop relationships with engineers." While some students studying automotive engineering said they had begun looking for jobs in other sectors, many said they remain enthusiastic about work- ing for the auto industry but have acknowledged they might have to wait a little while longer than previously hoped. Kneifel, a native of Rochester Hills, said he hopes to find a job in the auto industry but wasn't able to secure a position last semester. He said he plans to remain at the University another year to earn his master's degree and try again afterward. Jeremy Spater, a master's stu- dent in mechanical engineering who works on the HCCI research project, said the slowdown in hiring for automotive engineers is discouraging but he doesn't expect it to last. "Right now, there are more cars coming off the road than there are being sold," Spater said. "No, there's not better public transportation now, and there's no alternative to cars, so sooner or later, people are going to have to start buying them again." RECHARGING FOR THE FUTURE Car sales fell across the board last year as the economy strug- gled. But because oftheir reliance on large, gas-guzzling cars and SUVs, Detroit's automakers were hit hardest, which demonstrated the importance of new technolo- gies like the HCCI engine. Fansler, the GM engineer, said the University's expertise in engine systems analysis will be crucial to the development of alternative sys- tems like electric fuel cells, which many industry analysts expect to become standard for many cars in the near future. Advances like fuel cells will help GM fill the technol- ogy "pipeline" it will need to thrive in the 21st century, Fansler said. "We have to-do that, or we might survive a little longer and find our- selves in a similar fix a little farther down the road," he said. With GM banking much of its future on the success of the all- electric Chevrolet Volt, scheduled to launch in 2010, the University's importance as a research partner has grown. The University's Collaborative Research Laboratory in Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing, led by Mechanical Engineering Prof. Jack Hu, has begun researching assem- bly processes for the batteries GM plans to use in the Volt. And last week atthe North Amer- ican International Auto Show in Detroit, GM extended its research relationship with the University by announcing plans for a five-year, $5 million joint program to research batteries for electric vehicles. The GM/UM Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains, led by Mechanical Engineering Prof. Ann Marie Sastry, will perform experi- ments and simulations to help devel- op the lithium-ion batteries being developed for vehicles like the Volt. Late last year, theUniversity and GM announced plans to enroll 50 GM engineers in Sastry's master's pro- gram in energy systemsresearch. Weinert, who is also director of corporate and government relations for the University's College of Engi- neering, said these technologies - developed in part at the University - offer the domestic auto industry a chance to turn the corner. "Clearly, with what's happening in the auto industry and what's hap- pening with global climate change and the energy challenges of the country, everyone would agree that electrification of the automobile is a path that needs to be pursued, and pursued rapidly," Weinert said. "This work, for that very reason, is potentially transformational to this 100-plus-year-old industry. It's an inflection point. We haven't had many of those in the industry's his- tory, but we're at one right now." TALKING POINTS Three things you can talk about this week: 1. Closing Guantanamo Bay 2. Obama's first week 3. Jong Un II And three things you can't: 1. Norovirus 2. Boy George drama 3. Joaquin Phoenix's rap career "I feared for my life most of the time." - JESTINA MUKOKO, a woman who leads the Zimbabwe Peace Project, on her kidnapping, deten- tion and torture for three weeks by agents of the state. Mukoko was accused of plotting against the government of President Robert Mugabe, the ruthless dictator notorious for stifling any opposition QUOTES OF THE WEEK "It was a bunch of death I noticed the New York threats and of people say- skyline getting closer and ing, you know, I'm going to closer." come over and kill you, and - DAVE SANDERSON, a 47-year-old man stuff like that." Sfrnm Charlott whn ba dhar the U S Air- e1IItralL, wno was auuoa re u, /ir- ways plane that blew out both engines and had to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River on Thursday. All 150 passengers and five crew members survived. - MCKAY HATCH, a 15-year-old boy from Pasa- dena, Cal., on the 22,000 threatening e-mails he has received since he started a nationwide "No Cussing Club" to encourage less profanity in public Y.OUTU BE VIDEO OF THE WEEK Job interviewing 101 Although the prospects certainly look grim right now, it's a safe bet that most students here will someday have a job interview. In order to pre- pare, you could always use the Career Center as a resource. You could also watch this video. While waitingtobe called in forhis interview, Ben Schwartz is engrossed in the kid's magazine "Zoobooks." An assistant lets Schwartz know that Meredith is ready to see him, but Schwartz says he isn't quite ready. As Schwartz follows the assistant through the hall, he suggests they grab dinner sometime. Scornful and impatient, the assistant scoffs, "No, I don't think so." Schwartz then asks for her name and tries to slip money into her jacket pocket. She disgust-. edly pushes him away from her. Now comes the interview. Mere- dith starts by asking Schwartz about his job experience. "So what is Omni- core?" she says. "Isn't Omnicore the name of the company from that movie, 'Eobocop' ?" "Oh, so you've seen the movie," Schwartz says, sounding surprised. Meredith then asks about another one of Schwartz's employers, called "Skynet." Which Meredith identifies as being from "The Terminator." "Ahh, you see a lot of movies," Schwartz says. He ends by asking her out to din- ner and then offeringher money. -BRIAN TENGEL See this and other YouTube videos ofthe week at youtube.com/user/michigandaily BY THE NUMBERS Number of National Guard troops on duty for Barack Obama's inauguration Number of law-enforcement officers on duty for the inauguration Number of people who attended inaugural events in Washington, D.C. Source: Bloomberg News THEME PARTY SUGGESTION A winter remedy - Yeah, we know it's cold. On your dreadful walks to class, you've probably often regretted the fact that you left in the first place. Well, it's time to stop griping and take action. Go to Meijer and stock up on the necessary goods: a month's worth of microwave meals, whiskey and coffee. Find studious friends to take notes for you in lecture, and don't bother with discussion sections. It'll be spring before you know it. Throwing this party? Let us know. TheStatement@umich.edu STUDY OF THE WEEK Coffee consumption can reduce some oral cancers Drinking coffee can reduce the risk of getting cancer in the oral cavity or throat, according to a study recently published in the Amer- ican Journal of Epidemiology by researchers at Tohoku University, Sendei, in Japan. In the study, the researchers examined data from the Miyagi Cohort Study in Japan, analyzing more than 38,000 people aged 40 to 64 years old with no previous experience with cancer. In particu- lar, the researchers looked at participants' diets, including their cof- fee consumption. After 13 years of close observation, the researchers found that of the 38,000 participants, 157 people developed cancer of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus. Then, they discovered that compared with people who didn't drink coffee, those who consumed one or more cups per day proved to be half as likely to develop these oral cancers. BRIAN TENGEL READ-ER- Vote for the Best of Ann Arbor before January 23 on our web site. michigandaily.com/aabest