Toyota Supports 2010 Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit

DETROIT, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Toyota will serve as the platinum level sponsor of the 2010 Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit (SEFMD), an annual competition which honors some of the brightest young minds in the tri-county area.

Celebrating its 53rd year, the SEFMD will be held Tuesday, March 16 through Saturday, March 20 at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit.  The event features hundreds of innovative projects from students in the 6th through 12th grades, representing Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties.  Judging is scheduled for Wednesday, March 17, with public viewing reserved for Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19.

High school-aged students will be vying for a variety of individual and team awards, including local college scholarships for the top-six individual and top team entrants in the senior division. These students will automatically qualify for the 2010 international competition in San Jose, Calif. in May. There are also numerous awards available for students in 6th through 8th grades, including medals, plaques and the opportunity to attend a tailgate party at a Detroit Tigers' game this season.

This year, approximately 1,800 students from a record-setting 105 representative public, private and home schools will participate in the SEFMD.  Of this total, nearly 60 percent of the contestants are girls and nearly half of all entrants are African-American students.

"This year's Fair could rank among the most memorable in our competition's long history," said Tim Fino, Director of the SEFMD. "In reviewing hundreds of project abstracts, we are amazed at the creativity and ingenuity of our local students. This bodes well for our competition and confirms a healthy, local interest in the sciences."

Dave Baxter, Executive Administrator for the Technical Administration and Planning Office at Ann Arbor-based Toyota Technical Center, and an SEFMD board member, agrees.

"These students represent the engineers, scientists and physicians of tomorrow," Baxter said. "Many of our own engineers, at Toyota, have fond memories of similar science fairs during their childhood. For some, this was an enlightening experience. It helped pave the way for them selecting engineering as collegiate pursuit and eventual career path."

About SEFMD

The Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit (SEFMD), in its 53rd year of operation, is a non-profit organization established to give students in the tri-county area (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb counties) an opportunity to develop and exhibit science fair projects.

The competition is separated into two groups - junior division (6th, 7th and 8th grades) and senior division (9th - 12th grades).  Students are judged within their respective categories (total of 13 categories based on scientific discipline).  Up to six students (limit of ONE student per school in the senior division) and one team project (two or three students) may be selected to participate in the 2010 International Science and Engineering Fair.

The SEFMD is administered by a Board of Directors and the operations of the Fair are managed by an Operating Council. Both groups meet regularly to plan for the Fair. All members of the Board and the Operating Council are volunteers who give generously of their time, money and other resources. In addition, more than 500 people volunteer their time during the week of the Fair, including judging work, checking in projects, and assisting with public viewing and project removal.

About Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion.  Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers.  Toyota directly employs nearly 34,000 people in the U.S. and sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009.  For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.