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.

Only Three Days Left Before EDV's Grand Prize Experience Begins!

The DASH+ team is excited for next week’s victory lap in Detroit! We will be traveling with Grand Prize winner, EDV Technologies, to Motor City where the team will have the unique opportunity to learn about the automotive and environmental industries from an insider’s perspective.

To start the week off, Team EDV - Jake Moghtader, Nikhil Shinday and Kelvin Noronha, with mentor Kevin Schantz - will visit The Henry Ford, where they will present their dashboard of the future to a panel of auto experts. They will also have lunch with Ann Marie Sastry, one of the auto industry’s most influential battery experts. The team will also visit the Ford Rouge Factory, where Ford F-150s are assembled.

While in Detroit, they will have the opportunity to take their dashboard to the next level with software used by automotive designers at the College for Creative Studies, observe environmental professionals at work and tour the facilities used to test emissions standards at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and finally, visit the Michigan International Speedway to witness the final stages of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition and meet the competing teams.

Be sure to check back in through next week as we keep you posted on the trip! You can also follow the Grand Prize experience on Twitter @DashPlusContest.