AKRON, Ohio, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its 2017 STEM Career Day, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) has issued a $5,500 challenge to high school students – to create the most deliberately over-engineered contraption (in the spirit of Rube Goldberg).

The prize money is part of $28,000 in grants and scholarships that will be awarded as part of Goodyear's 19^th Annual STEM Career Day, hosted by The University of Akron.

"Engaging and inspiring students early in their education is key to attracting and retaining young innovators," said Brandy Moorhead, Goodyear's director of tire and mold engineering. "At Goodyear, our most valuable asset is the talent and skills of our people and STEM Career Day reflects our commitment to making STEM education accessible and exciting."

Students attending the event will have the opportunity to learn more about careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) during an information fair that will include several area universities, corporations and business leaders from across Northeast Ohio.

"We are pleased to welcome nearly 500 high school students from across the region to our Akron campus," said Donald P. Visco, interim dean of the University of Akron's College of Engineering. "I'm encouraged to see so many students exploring careers in STEM areas – all of which we offer here at UA.  I applaud Goodyear for their leadership in this event for nearly two decades."

Tours of The University of Akron's campus and STEM facilities will also be offered to both students and parents throughout the day while students rotate through three activities. They will be given the opportunity to discover the Microsoft Hololense (the first self-contained, holographic computer), engage with the designer of Goodyear's Eagle-360 concept tire, as well as participate in speed mentoring with professionals from a variety of industries and STEM disciplines on next steps for pursuing a career in STEM.

The event will close with the announcement of 20 scholarship recipients and three Rube Goldberg Challenge™ grant winners awarded by Moorhead.

A subsequent event for middle school students (grades 6-8) will be held the following Saturday, May 6, at Akron's Firestone High School from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

To learn more about Goodyear's STEM Career Day, please visit www.goodyear.com/careerday.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs about 66,000 people and manufactures its products in 48 facilities in 21 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear or its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodyear-to-award-28000-in-grants-scholarships-at-19th-annual-stem-career-day-300447428.html

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company