Kettering University Co-Op Students Are Chasing Away the Parking Blues

Business Wire, Feb 5, 2008

FLINT, Mich. -- Five Kettering University co-op students are helping the environment while solving parking issues in downtown Flint.

The co-op students are working for ParkingCarma, a company that utilizes a patented information technology system to solve parking issues in large metropolitan areas and reduce the environmental impact of vehicles. ParkingCarma recently became a Kettering University cooperative education partner.

The Kettering co-op students at ParkingCarma are:

Tony Stanley of Owosso, Mich.;

Robert Sunshine of Macomb, Mich.;

Jarrel Williams of Grand Blanc, Mich.;

James Glover of Detroit, Mich.; and

Gavin Gage of Clare, Mich.

The company, headquartered in Emeryville, Calif., opened an office in Flint, Mich., in March 2007 to improve the efficiency of finding a parking space within the city limits. The organization is a national firm that specializes in improving the efficiency of finding a parking space in the major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. It uses a patented system called SmartParking Information Network (SPIN). Wireless sensors help drivers determine the real-time availability of parking spaces from their cars, homes or offices. With large cities suffering congestion, gridlock and increased pollution due to vehicles driving around searching for parking spots, ParkingCarma offer real-time technology solutions, which lowers vehicle pollution.

In the past several months, the co-op students have helped with the planning of a massive data collection campaign and have assisted by setting up the phone systems and trouble-shooting the computer systems in the Flint office. "The addition of the Kettering co-op students has enabled company executives to focus on business matters as well as increased our productivity through new ideas and sheer numbers of people," said Amanda Marcotte, operations manager.

To read more, visit Kettering's website at: www.kettering.edu.

Located in Flint, Mich., Kettering University is the home of the country's most modern co-operative education program. The University and 630 corporate partners provide professional co-op experiences around the world for more than 2,000 undergraduate students.