Altair Engineering -- a global leader recognized for innovative product development, advanced engineering software and grid computing technology -- continues to donate engineering software to key educational institutions across the globe, as part of the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE). To date, PACE has contributed more than $2 billion in hardware, software, training, automotive parts, industry projects, and more to 28 key institutions around the world. The PACE Partnership, which links General Motors, EDS, Sun Microsystems and UGS, integrates parametrics-based applications into the engineering, manufacturing, and design curricula of some of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. The curriculum is designed to prepare the automotive lifecycle management team of the future by providing students experience with these game changing tools and technologies used in the industry. As an official PACE contributor, Altair Engineering donates its Altair HyperWorks suite of industry-leading software to the partner universities. Altair HyperWorks - The Engineering Framework for Product Design is an integrated suite of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools for product design, featuring modeling and visualization, analysis & optimization, design process automation and manufacturing process simulation. "Altair recognizes the value that new graduates bring to the work force, and we remain committed to education and preparing for the future of our industry," said Jim Scapa, President and CEO, Altair Engineering. "The PACE program has already proven itself to be forward-thinking and innovative, and we look forward to continuing and even strengthening our partnership with these leading institutions." Today 28 educational institutions are involved with the PACE program, including: Canada University of British Columbia Dalhousie University University of Toronto University of Waterloo Queen's University China Shanghai Jiao Tong University Germany Technische Universitat Darmstadt Mexico Instituto Politecnico Nacional ITESM - Toluca ITESM - Estado de Mexico ITESM - Monterrey ITAM Universidad Iberoamericana Sweden University of Trollhattan United States Brigham Young University Kettering University Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Michigan Michigan State University Michigan Technological University University of Missouri - Rolla Tuskegee University Northwestern University Prairie View A&M University Purdue University Virginia Tech University Georgia Institute of Technology Howard University Background: Through product design consulting, advanced engineering software and grid computing technologies, Altair Engineering increases innovation for clients around the globe. Founded in 1985 and privately held with offices throughout 11 countries, Altair's unparalleled knowledge and expertise in product development and manufacturing extend throughout North America, Europe and Asia. As the developer of Altair(R) HyperWorks(R) - The Engineering Framework for Product Design, Altair is the leading provider of high-end, open CAE software solutions for modeling, visualization, optimization and process automation. The company's grid computing software, PBS Pro, is a workload management solution for high performance computing environments, LINUX clusters and desktop cycle harvesting that delivers an ROI within one year. For detailed information on Altair, visit http://www.altair.com/ .