8 | BEC ANNUAL REPORT 2018 The Business Engagement Center advances research, education and economic development by partnering with businesses to give them access to UM-Dearborn’s vast resources. Our strong ties to industry help us connect companies with faculty expertise and establish partnerships for collaborative research and sponsored projects. Businesses can recruit students for internships and co-ops; sponsor an event, student organizations or other opportunities; donate goods and services; or work with us to develop strategic philanthropic initiatives. PARTNERSHIPS ZF In the 2017-2018 academic year, ZF took part in several engagements across campus including student team and organization sponsorship, as well as recruitment of students for internships, co-ops and full-time positions after graduation. In fact, ZF was honored by UM-Dearborn as the Cooperative Education Employer of the Year in 2018. And the company continues to make important investments in research on campus. Currently, Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor and Associate DeanYi Lu Murphey is collaborating with ZF on a project in her Intelligent Systems Lab to perfect a car with 360-degree vision. Murphey and the students in her lab use data gathered from a technologically advanced vehicle, which has four outwardly facing cameras and sensors—in the front, rear and on the left and right door mirrors. The goal is a 360-degree view around the car that allows the team to better assess their detection accuracy research through real-world data gathering. The vehicle is driven on campus, around Detroit and through downtown Ann Arbor. “For ZF, investing in university projects can help guide the industry over the paradigm shift—conventional vehicles to autonomous—happening in the auto industry,” said Franz Kleiner, member of the Board of Management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG. “The challenges of the next stages of mobility are both exciting and at times daunting, and we need brilliant young minds to bring fresh perspectives,” he said. “Partnering with leading Michigan universities, like the University of Michigan-Dearborn, allows us to explore new ideas at a faster pace, and it can give students opportunities to contribute to the future of transportation.” CECS graduate student Chengqi Bian (driver) and senior Zihao Zhao record campus life with the surround-view camera system, collecting data for an Intelligent Systems Lab research project