DETROIT – Nine Lawrence Technological University students won industry-sponsored awards and scholarships Sunday night at MAIN Event 2018, a celebration of automotive design and innovation held at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in midtown Detroit.
Around 600 people attended the eighth annual event, which helps kick off the North American International Auto Show.
The student awards were as follows:
Society of Plastics Engineers Award, a competition that challenged students to explore the innovative use of plastics: First place, Joshua DeSouza, a senior transportation design major from Miami, Fla.; second place, Veronica Beers, a sophomore industrial design major from Plymouth; third place, Dhwanil Panchal, a sophomore transportation design major from Kalol, India.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Design Award, exploring the future of performance vehicles: First place, DeSouza; second place, Dillon Kane, a senior transportation design major from Long Island, N.Y.; third place, Mitchell Miklosi, a senior transportation design major from Sparta.
Magna International Inc. Bold Perspective Award for concept vehicle design: winner, Jacob Lovins, a senior transportation design major from Cincinnati, Ohio; finalists, Ian Broekman, a senior transportation design major from Dearborn, and Fadi Hannawa, a senior transportation design major from Sterling Heights.
Next Generation of Design Innovation Award, sponsored by Dassault Systèmes; winner, Kane; finalists, Hannawa and Dylan Martin, a senior transportation design major from Royal Oak.
Also at MAIN Event, Mercedes-Benz won the Digital Concept and Animation Excellence Award for a video showcasing the Merceds-AMG Project One, a limited production plug-in hybrid supercar scheduled for production in 2019.
Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president at BMW Group Design, won the 2018 MAIN Event Industry Innovator of the Year Award for his creative leadership of BMW’s 700-person design team.
Matthias Müller, CEO of Volkswagen Group since 2015, was named MAIN Event Global Industry Executive of the Year. Müller was CEO of Porsche 2010-15, and won praise for increasing sales and profits while preserving Porsche’s sports car cachet after it merged with Volkswagen.
Keith Nagara, executive director of the transportation design program at LTU, is executive chairman of MAIN Event, and said it was created to provide a celebration of the important role design plays in the automotive industry, and for LTU students to be recognized by the industry on the same stage as leading industry professionals.
After the awards, attendees enjoyed a strolling supper and a fashion show of clothing from Detroit-area designers, sponsored by Detroit Fashion Week.
Primary sponsors of MAIN Event are LTU, FCA, Magna, and Calsonic Kansei. More at http://mainevent20.com/.
