Queen's graduate student Andrew Sloan, winner of the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition, was congratulated by Ian Howcroft (left) of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and Peter Frise (right) of AUTO21.

Graduate student Andrew Sloan has won the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition and received a $10,000 scholarship for his work with advanced high strength steels.

Mr. Sloan is particularly interested in dual-phase (DP) steels and their formability during automotive production. He believes that resolving any issues with this formability will make DP steel effective for enhancing crashworthiness and reductions in vehicle weight, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

“The AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition very much reinforced the goal that I believe should underlie all serious research projects: creating a large-scale positive impact,” he says.

AUTO21 TestDRIVE gives Canadian university graduate students the opportunity to showcase leading technologies and automotive knowledge. The competition works in partnership with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME).

Six students had the opportunity to compete at CME’s Sustainable Manufacturing Summit in Mississauga. Contestants were given three minutes to present their research as a business proposal in front of a panel of judges and an audience of industry experts.

The judges were looking for the idea that had the most potential to provide the largest benefit to the Canadian automotive sector.

Since 2001, AUTO21 has served as Canada’s automotive research program by providing funding for applied research and development projects at 45 universities across the country. More than 1,400 graduate student researchers have been supported with federal and private-sector funding.

“Winning this scholarship has certainly provided short-term satiation of my appetite for competition, but it has fueled my hunger and motivation for continuation of my research,” says Mr. Sloan.

This is the second time the competition has been offered. The first was in February.