CCS students design tomorrow's headlights

The College of Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit teamed up with Visteon and Osram to give 18 CCS seniors an opportunity to create new automotive lighting designs using the latest technology.

CCS has been partnering with Visteon since 2002 and with Osram since 2010. The trio gave students a chance at hands-on design experience under the guidance of designers and engineers from Visteon and Osram as a class during the 2011 fall semester.

"It is important that our students understand all the elements that must be taken into account when creating outstanding designs," Mark West, CCS transportation design department chairman, said in an Osram statement. "We are training students in a new area of design development and new LED lighting technology for global vehicles."

Osram provided the LED technology while Visteon provided the application experience.

"Great ideas often come when industry and education work together on innovation," said Tim Yerdon, Visteon's director of global innovation and design. "We believe CCS is an ideal place to find progressive, knowledgeable thinkers with a solid base in design."

The class ended in December with a presentation of the student's work. Texan Alexander Mcgowen was awarded top honors, followed by second-place Jae Han Song from Korea and third-place Dexter Carrie from Toronto. The students' final designs will be displayed at various locations over the next several months.

By Brad Constant