AEROSPACE

NATICK, Mass. -- The MathWorks today announced that Cornell University is the recipient of The MathWorks Modeling Award at the FutureTruck 2003 competition. Cleve Moler, The MathWorks founder, chief scientist, and creator of MATLAB, presented the award last evening at the FutureTruck awards ceremony to the Cornell FutureTruck team in recognition of the school's achievements in utilizing the Company's flagship tools, MATLAB and Simulink, for innovative automotive design. In July, The MathWorks will showcase Cornell's FutureTruck vehicle at the Company's headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts. "We are honored to accept the first-ever Modeling Award at FutureTruck," said John Callister, engineering professor and FutureTruck team advisor at Cornell University. "The MathWorks added a crucial element to the overall competition this year. Because modeling is such an important part of modern- day automotive design, we're proud to have been chosen out of a very impressive group of competitors." A corporate sponsor of FutureTruck for the past three years, The MathWorks introduced its Modeling Award this year. The award recognizes student teams who have created working models of engine, motor, transmission, controllers, and other subsystems that result in a more energy-efficient vehicle. In addition to leveraging MATLAB and Simulink, the student teams utilized the MATLAB-based Power Systems Analysis Toolkit, PSAT, developed by Argonne National Laboratory, throughout the months-long design process. FutureTruck is a unique four-year engineering program that brings together the resources of industry, government, and academia in a cooperative effort to address important environmental and energy-related issues posed by the growing demand for SUVs. For the overall FutureTruck competition, student teams were challenged to redesign a 2002 Ford Explorer for lower emissions and 25 percent higher fuel economy. The MathWorks role at FutureTruck 2003 included a year- long commitment made through the donation of a complete suite of its tools to each student team, the provision of mentors, technical contacts, and judges for the overall FutureTruck competition. "With our ever-increasing participation at FutureTruck, we have been able to see for the past three years how our tools are furthering environmentally- friendly technologies," said Cleve Moler. "FutureTruck provides a critical link between the automotive industry and the innovation that is happening at academic research labs and schools across the country. The MathWorks is proud to be engaged in this collaborative effort and to help drive automotive technology advancements." The MathWorks Modeling Award competition drew several competing student teams from top engineering programs across the country. Joining Cornell University on the award podium were teams from Georgia Institute of Technology, receiving second place, and West Virginia University, honored with the Most Improved award for its commitment to continuous improvements in the design process. "In the FutureTruck setting, students are able to experiment with automotive technology in ways the industry cannot, creating a vast educational opportunity for academics and industry professionals alike to witness the creativity and innovation contained within each award-winning design," said Bob Mull, director, vehicle evaluation & verification at Ford Motor Company. "Additionally, the event provides a critical opportunity for students to leverage an open forum to articulate their needs for innovative products and technologies."