Toyota Supports 2013 Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit -- DETROIT, March 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- DETROIT, March 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota will serve as a key sponsor of the upcoming 2013 Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit (SEFMD), an annual competition which honors some of the brightest young minds in the tri-county area. Celebrating its 56th year, the SEFMD will be held March 12-16 at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit. The event features hundreds of innovative projects from students in the 6th through 12th grades, representing Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. High school-aged students will be vying for a variety of individual and team awards, including local college scholarships for the top-six individual and top team entrants in the senior division. These students will automatically qualify for the 2013 Intel® International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix this May. This year, more than 1,500 students from 122 public, private and home schools will participate in the SEFMD. Of this total, about 55 percent of the contestants are female and nearly half of all entrants are African-American students. Dave Baxter , Executive Administrator at the Ann Arbor-based Toyota Technical Center, and an SEFMD board member, said this competition often steers students toward their future professions. "These students represent the engineers, scientists and physicians of tomorrow," Baxter said. Many of our own Toyota engineers have fond memories of similar science fairs during their childhood. For some, it was a pivotal turning point in their selection of engineering as a collegiate pursuit and eventual career path. The Science and Engineering Fair of Metropolitan Detroit (SEFMD), in its 56th year of operation, is a non-profit organization established to give students in the tri-county area (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb counties) an opportunity to develop and exhibit science fair projects. The competition is separated into two groups - junior division (6th, 7th and 8th grades) and senior division (9th - 12th grades). Students are judged within their respective categories (total of 13 categories based on scientific discipline). Up to six students (limit of one student per school in the senior division) and one team project (two or three students) may be selected to participate in the 2013 International Science and Engineering Fair. The SEFMD is administered by a Board of Directors and the operations of the Fair are managed by an Operating Council. Both groups meet regularly to plan for the Fair. All members of the Board and the Operating Council are volunteers who give generously of their time, money and other resources. In addition, more than 500 people volunteer their time during the week of the Fair, including judging work, checking in projects, and assisting with public viewing and project removal. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed nearly $600 million to philanthropic programs in the U.S. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com