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Robofest2019

DENSO Shows Commitment to STEM Education as Lead Sponsor of the 20th Robofest World Championship

May. 17, 2019

Southfield, Mich. ― DENSO, the world’s second largest mobility supplier, is a lead sponsor of the 20th Robofest World Championship, held May 16-18, 2019, at Lawrence Technological University (LTU) in Southfield, Michigan. DENSO has always been committed to shaping the advanced mobility industry by getting young students – and future leaders in the automotive industry – interested in highly skilled careers in science, technology, engineering and advanced manufacturing. Because of this, DENSO has sponsored the event since 2005 and has been a lead platinum sponsor since 2015.

As part of DENSO’s involvement, it worked closely with LTU to involve Southfield Public Schools for the first time in Robofest events throughout the year. This allowed public school students around DENSO’s North American headquarters to get hands-on, STEM-related experience and gain engineering and programming skills that could lead to future careers. Specifically, Southfield’s MacArthur K-8 University Academy hosted a Robofest competition on April 6, 2019, and one of its teams, The People, is competing in the qualifying competition at LTU this weekend.

“Robofest takes a unique approach to introducing kids to STEM, encouraging them to solve important social issues through autonomous technology.,” said Melissa Smith, Community Affairs Lead at DENSO International America, Inc. “At DENSO, we understand our involvement is critical in helping identify future talent –skilled trade workers, engineers and industry leaders – who are passionate about working with advanced technologies, improving society through mobility and building safer communities where they work and live.”

Robofest was created in 1999 and has had over 25,000 domestic and international students compete in its events. This year, 600 students from 261 teams will participate in the RoboParade, a parade of autonomous robotic floats, the Unknown Mission Challenge (UMC), where robots perform various tasks that are revealed the day of the event, and much more. Southfield Mayor Kenson J. Siver will be in attendance on May 18 and speak to the students during the opening ceremony at 9 a.m. The event is free to the public.

DENSO recognizes the demand for individuals who are highly skilled in STEM-related fields. To achieve its long-term vision, DENSO actively supports events like Robofest, FIRST Robotics and the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge to engage with talented and diverse young professionals who can eventually become members of their workforce. For those interested in learning more about DENSO internships, co-ops and other opportunities, go to densocareers.com.

About DENSO Corporation

DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has more than 220 subsidiaries in 35 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs approximately 170,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, totaled US$48.1 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/.