ATLANTA (Sept. 6, 2017) – Verizon IndyCar Series driver Max Chilton and Cara Adams, chief engineer for Bridgestone Americas Motorsports, will be the featured presenters during the Honda STEAM Connections Tour event Wednesday, Sept. 13, on the University of California campus in Berkeley. The 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. event at Hearst Mining Circle in the Berkeley Engineering quadrant will showcase the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) behind Honda’s Verizon IndyCar Series program and the automotive industry to area middle school and high school students, along with thousands of university students and faculty. Conducted in collaboration with the Berkeley Engineering’s Formula SAE program, displays will include Chilton’s No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda race car and transporter, Firestone Racing tires, and Formula SAE student projects including CalSol. In July, CalSol, a campus solar vehicle team, won the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, with its entry, Zephyr. The event included 18 college teams from across the nation competing in a challenge to design, build and driver a solar-powered vehicle in a track-style race. Berkeley Engineering is ranked in the top three nationally and globally by U.S. News & World Report. The Honda STEAM Connections Tour event also will feature Chilton, Honda Performance Development race engineer Matt Taylor, and Adams conducting Q&As with students from 10-11 a.m. at Sibley Auditorium in the Bechtel Engineering Center (behind Hearst Mining Circle). Chilton also will sign autographs for students. Media is invited to attend and interview program participants. Chilton, a former Formula One driver for Marussia, is competing in his second Verizon IndyCar Series season with Chip Ganassi Racing. Taylor is his HPD race engineer with the No. 8 Honda. “Science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math are all integral parts of the No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – from the design of the aerodynamic components to the power girding the V-6 Honda engine – and throughout the Verizon IndyCar Series on and off the racetrack. I’m pleased to have the opportunity, along with my Honda Performance Development engineer, Matt Taylor, to speak to students at the Honda STEAM Connections Tour event at UC Berkeley. It will be an education for all of us.” Adams is the highest-ranking female engineer in the Verizon IndyCar Series. A Formula SAE Design Team member while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Akron, Adams regularly speaks to students about the importance of STEAM courses. She’s especially passionate about females seeking STEAM-related career paths. 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. “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.” The Honda STEAM Connections Tour event at UC Berkeley precedes the Verizon IndyCar Series championship-deciding race Sept. 15-17 at Sonoma Raceway. The Honda STEAM Connections Tour of universities across the nation, in its second year, is organized and managed by STEAM Sports Group. For more information: Kevin Chen (UC Berkley), kchen@berkeley.edu, 510-396-6746 Brenna Miscione (UC Berkeley), breanna_m@berkeley.edu Dave Lewandowski (STEAM Sports Group), david@dickinsonpg.com, 317-331-9385 Driving and parking directions, campus map: http://visit.berkeley.edu/ About Honda Performance Development HPD was founded in 1993 to spearhead Honda’s entry into Indy car racing. No other manufacturer has matched Honda’s success in Indy cars, which includes 225 race victories, 15 drivers’ championships, six competitive manufacturers’ championships and 12 Indianapolis 50 victories since 2004. In addition to Indy car competition, HPD and Honda have a history of success in the classic endurance sports car races, including a pair of LMP2 wins and a privateer LMP1 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2010; as well as multiple American Le Mans Series championships and five LMP2 class victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring since 2007. HPD’s Honda engines have recorded 75 race wins at endurance sports car races around the world, with 70 of those victories coming in the HPD-developed line of sports prototype cars. HPD offers a complete line of race engines for cars from grass roots to pinnacle; for professional, amateur and entry-level racers. For more information about HPD and the company’s racing product lines, please visit http://hpd.honda.com.