Greetings from Motor City!

The trip has gotten off to a great start! This morning, Kelvin, Jake and Nikhil wowed our panel of auto experts with the presentation of their dashboard of the future. The panel was particularly impressed by the dashboard’s ability to award Green Points for eco-friendly driving. The auto industry experts recognized the importance of incentivizing more fuel-efficient driving and leveraging shared information through social networks. Again and again, the panel expressed their admiration of the team’s hard work and good thinking.

Following the presentation by EDV Technologies, the panel engaged in a thoughtful Q&A session with the students. The team was asked about:

·Their motivation for developing such a forward-thinking design

·The unintended consequences of a system that rewards drivers for particular driving habits

·What types of audience research was conducted by the team

After the panel, the team was joined by leading battery expert Ann Marie Sastry of Sakti3 for a private lunch focused on innovation. During the lunch, the team learned about Dr. Sastry’s experience in the industry and received valuable feedback and advice.

Later in the afternoon, the team toured the museum with an archivist who walked the team through the history of the automobile. At the conclusion of the tour, he reminded the students that the future of The Henry Ford Museum depends on continued innovations from young minds like EDV Technologies.



Then we turned the team loose in the Greenfield Village for a ride on a real Model T and an exploration of the lives of past inventors, including Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers.

We’ve had a great first day here in Detroit. Check back tomorrow for an overview of the day’s activities.