ANSYS Helps STEM Students Become The Best Possible Engineers

PITTSBURGH, May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- From new free student products to the creation of transportation systems of the future to complimentary online engineering classes, ANSYS (NASDAQ: ANSS) is showing its commitment to education in university classrooms and labs around the world – helping to deliver the promise of simulation-driven product development to the next generation of engineers.

Engineering is changing under the forces of Industry 4.0, spanning from the promise of the Internet of Things, the use of composite materials and additive manufacturing, to automated factories and mass customization. Universities are at the forefront of research in these areas and realizing that traditional ways of teaching engineering are no longer sufficient. Leading engineering schools across the globe have embraced simulation tools and their ability to virtually explore these vastly increased product development options to arrive at the designs of tomorrow. In fact, professors and students at all 25 of the best engineering schools ranked by US News & World Report are using ANSYS engineering simulation software.

To help with this effort and to make simulation more accessible to all engineering students, the company has introduced new versions of its free ANSYS Student software. In addition to the newest upgrade of the existing ANSYS Student software, the company is now adding AIM Student, a new easy-to-use multiphysics engineering simulation environment. ANSYS Student has recently surpassed a record 100,000 downloads from undergraduate and graduate students around the world.

"ANSYS' mission is to help engineers develop the best possible products – and we are equally passionate about helping students become the best possible engineers," said Mark Hindsbo, vice president of marketing at ANSYS. "With the new release of our free ANSYS Student software and the addition of ANSYS AIM Student, we have the opportunity to take engineering simulation from the domain of a few specialists and put these powerful tools in the hands of every undergraduate student."

But access to the solutions is not sufficient. Students and others now have the opportunity to learn more about this technology as part of Cornell University's massive open online course (MOOC) called "A Hands-on Introduction to Engineering Simulations." The MOOC will give tens of thousands of students worldwide an opportunity to learn skills that are regularly taught to the university's undergraduate engineering students on campus. The free course launches June 1 and will run for six weeks.

Students are also getting an opportunity to acquire practical knowledge of simulation through the Hyperloop Pod Competition, in which teams from universities are creating working prototypes of the Hyperloop Pod vehicles. The Hyperloop is a concept for a revolutionary new high-speed system, where passengers travel in low-pressure tubes at speeds over 700 miles per hour. ANSYS is one of the main sponsors of the competition and has made its software and expertise available for free to the student participants. In fact, most of the finalists have used its engineering simulations software in their prototype development.  

"An important aspect of the Hyperloop is that there is no resistance to motion by friction as the Hyperloop Pod is levitated over the track inside the tube. The CMU Hyperloop team is using magnetic braking to decelerate our pod," said Siddhant Shivaram, a master's engineering student at Carnegie Mellon University. "In order to validate this approach, we are using ANSYS to simulate the system and understand the braking forces that can be generated by eddy currents induced on the I-rail track. The simulations have provided invaluable insights into the performance of our system, allowing us to optimize numerous aspects before we commit to the cost of a physical prototype."

About ANSYS, Inc.

ANSYS is the global leader in engineering simulation. We bring clarity and insight to our customer's most complex design challenges through the broadest portfolio of fast, accurate and reliable simulation tools. Our technology enables organizations in all industries to imagine high-quality, innovative and sustainable product designs that have an accelerated time to market. Founded in 1970, ANSYS employs almost 3000 professionals, more than 700 of them with PhDs in engineering fields such as finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, electronics and electromagnetics, embedded software, system simulation and design optimization. Headquartered south of Pittsburgh, U.S.A., ANSYS has more than 75 strategic sales and development locations throughout the world with a network of channel partners in 40+ countries. Visit www.ansys.com for more information.

ANSYS also has a strong presence on the major social channels. To join the simulation conversation, please visit: www.ansys.com/Social@ANSYS 

ANSYS and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries. All other brand, product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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