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UB students auto safety stars; featured at Lime Rock exhibit
 rize-winning auto and driving safety designs created by University of Bridgeport design students were featured over Memorial Day weekend and will be on exhibit later in the summer at Connecticut's famed Lime Rock Park NASCAR auto racing.
Famous auto racer Skip Barber, who owns Lime Rock and provided the UB designers with the exhibit tent, has Jim Lesko, left, director of the Design program, all smiles. |
The race track is providing the exhibition to promote UB's leadership in auto safety design. On exhibit are safety designs by UB students, who in recent international competitions at the New York Auto Show, against the top design schools in the United States and abroad, won the first, second and fifth prizes. The competition was sponsored by the Greater New York Auto Dealers Association, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the Norman J. Levy Foundation, the National Road Safety Foundation, Saab and Volvo.
Anna Zimnoch Mastriano of North Haven took first place and a $5,000 award with her portable safety screen. The team of Maria Interlandi of New Haven and Daniel Sterling of Enfield won second place with their design for no-drift directionals. Peter Klutch of Monroe took the fifth-place prize with his design for an early warning hazard light system.
Since 1998, UB students have been regular winners in the competition, walking away with nearly $35,000 in prize money. Last year's students took first, third and fifth place. The year before, a UB student won the grand prize.
UB's Director of Art and Design Jim Lesko pointed out, "We've been competing with very good schools." Although the competing schools had faculty coming from automotive design backgrounds, he said, "we held our own against them."
With the design department's proven record in auto safety, UB was invited to exhibit the students' designs at Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville. "Driving safety is a concern of NASCAR racing," Lesko said. "That’s why we were invited to exhibit. Lime Rock is an ideal showcase for student work."
John Paul Pugliesen, a UB sophomore in Industrial Design, shows a prospective student some UB auto safety designs during exhibits at Lime Rock. |
The exhibit attracted many of the more than 8,000 people attending the Memorial Day weekend race that concluded with the Lime Rock Grand Prix. The UB exhibit will also be at Lime Rock on Aug. 13 through Labor Day, Sept. 2, and Oct. 11-12, the Columbus Day weekend.
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