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Auto 21
University of Calgary Student Team Celebrated for Innovative Automotive Research
University of Waterloo Team ranks second
HAMILTON - A team of student researchers from the
University of Calgary was nationally recognized today for their innovative
automotive research. The team was awarded first place in the AUTO21 Highly
Qualified People (HQP) Poster Competition, which is open to student
researchers within the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence program. AUTO21
is Canada's national automotive research program, supporting more than 200
researchers and over 500 graduate students at 45 universities across the
country.
More than 80 student teams from 28 Canadian universities took part in the
competition, which was held in affiliation with the APMA-AUTO21 2009
Conference and Exhibition in Hamilton, Ontario. Supported by AUTO21 funding as
they complete graduate and post-graduate degrees, each student's research
contributes to one of AUTO21's 52 automotive research projects. The winning
University of Calgary team contributes to the Teen and Novice Driver project,
which is led by Professor Jeff Caird of the University of Calgary. Team
members include: Amanda Ohlhauser, Andrew Mayer, Shaunna Milloy, Aimee
Pearson, and Sebastian Siwiec.
"The superior research poster developed by the University of Calgary
students illustrates how this project's research will help the Canadian
automotive sector develop new technologies and knowledge. This work also helps
the students enhance their skills through hands-on R&D training," said Dr.
Peter Frise, AUTO21 Scientific Director and CEO. "AUTO21 projects focus on
innovation, helping Canada maintain its competitiveness in automotive R&D."
The annual HQP Poster Competition is held each spring and boasts a total
prize purse of nearly $20,000. Twenty semi-finalist teams are selected from
the initial pool of entrants, with each team member receiving a $50 voucher
for a bookstore. The semi-finalists provide an oral defence of their research
poster, and five finalists are selected upon this evaluation. The finalists
receive a cash prize to be divided amongst the team members. Judges are
external to AUTO21 and include senior industry, government and R&D experts.
Final ranking of the top five student teams:
| Project name |
University |
Ranking/prize |
| Teen and Novice Driver Network |
University of Calgary |
First/$4,500.00 |
| Dynamic Collaborative Driving |
University of Waterloo |
Second/$3,500.00 |
| High Performance Powder Metallurgy Auto Components |
Universite Laval |
Third/$2,500.00 |
| Neuro-Fuzzy Systems for Inspection in Manufacturing Processes |
Queen's University |
Fourth/$1,500.00 |
| Fine-Celled Foam Structures for TPO Components |
University of Toronto |
Honourable Mention/$1,000.00 |
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The AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence currently supports 52
auto-related research projects with an annual $11 million budget of public and
private sector funding. Research occurs in six key areas: health, safety and
injury prevention; societal issues; materials and manufacturing; design
processes; powertrains, fuels and emissions; and intelligent systems and
sensors. AUTO21 is part of the federal Network of Centres of Excellence
program, and its administrative centre is hosted by the University of Windsor.
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