ATLANTA (Sept. 27, 2017) – Acura NSX race car driver and STEAM ambassador Katherine Legge and Honda Performance Development engineer Gary Karamikian will be the featured speakers Tuesday, Oct. 3, during the Acura STEAM Connections Tour event on Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus in Greenville, South Carolina. The 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. event at the Campbell Graduate Engineering Center at CU-ICAR will showcase the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) behind the Acura sports car racing program and the automotive industry to area middle school and high school students. Conducted in collaboration with the Clemson University Formula SAE team, displays during group tours will include Legge’s Acura NSX GT3 race car and Michael Shank Racing transporter, Formula SAE race cars, and the university’s Deep Orange student prototype vehicle. The Acura STEAM Connections Tour event also will feature Legge and Karamikian talking about how STEAM is incorporated in all aspects of motorsports and conducting a Q&A with students from 10:45-11:30 a.m. in the AT&T Auditorium of the Campbell Graduate Engineering Center. Legge will sign autographs for students following the program. Media is invited to attend to capture broll and interview program participants. “STEAM is really important to me and I like to promote science, technology, engineering, and math as much as I can. I am the STEAM ambassador fort the Girls Scouts of America, and I love talking to groups and individuals about the opportunities and some of the fun things you can do with STEAM and the careers it can lead to,” Legge said. Women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce, according to the National Science Foundation. “I am really hoping to change up the perception that racing is for guys, and that girls can't aspire to careers in engineering, mechanics, data, technology development, research, business and sponsorship, which are just some of the things we need more of in racing,” Legge added. Legge, who was the first female to compete full time in the Champ Car World Series and has made two starts in the Indianapolis 500, will compete in the GT Daytona class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race Oct. 4-7 at Road Atlanta in the No. 93 Michael Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3. Outside of racing, the Atlanta resident competes in triathlons in addition to her Girls Scouts of America ambassador role. The Acura and Honda STEAM Connections Tour of universities across the nation, in its second year, is organized and managed by STEAM Sports Group. “Motorsports is part of the DNA of Honda, and to succeed in motorsports you need talented, hard-working staff trained in the STEM disciplines,” said T.E. McHale, manager of motorsports communications for American Honda Motorsports. “We realize that in order to compete and win at the highest levels of the sport, we must encourage and develop the next generation of engineers and support personnel. This program begins to reach out to those whom we seek to engage with Honda in the future.” Contacts: Bryce Donovan, Clemson University, 843-327-8493, donova4@clemson.edu Dave Lewandowski, STEAM Sports Group, 317-331-9385, david@dickinsonpg.com Driving and parking directions, campus map: http://cuicar.com/about/driving-directions/
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