Cars built from crab shells. Preventing injury in automobile accidents through better seat design. These were some of the possibilities described at the Toyota Canada – AUTO21 HQP Poster Competition held at the recent AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence Conference in Montreal.
Among the 60 national student teams at the competition was one from U of T Engineering, which tied for first place.
“Recyclable, Lightweight Polymeric Nanocomposites,” a biodegradable plastic that is strengthened by shrimp and crab-shell fibres, won Mechanical Engineering graduate students Qi (Aaron) Guan (MASc Candidate) and Reza Rizvi (PhD Candidate) the $4,000 top prize. The project by the Smart & Adaptive Polymer Lab (SAPL) in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE) and the Department of Materials Science & Engineering is led by Professor Hani Naguib.
A team from the University of British Columbia also won first prize.
Earlier this year, Guan was awarded a $10,000 scholarship after beating out students from across Canada at the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition in Mississauga. Guan’s work is in developing an alternative to today’s petroleum-based plastics found in car parts.
“Congratulations to Aaron Guan and Reza Rizvi on this exceptional win,” said Professor Jean Zu, MIE Chair. “Their innovative research of material that is both recyclable and biodegradable will one day revolutionize the automotive industry.”
The annual HQP Poster Competition offers prizes that total approximately $15,000. The semi-finalists provide an oral defence of their research poster. Final winners were selected upon this evaluation. The winners receive a cash prize to be divided amongst the team members. Judges include senior industry representatives, government officials and R&D experts.
“Part of AUTO21’s mandate is to support student researchers across the country,” said Dr. Peter Frise, AUTO21 Scientific Director and CEO. “Our students continue to demonstrate cutting-edge knowledge and expertise as they forge the way to a prosperous and sustainable automotive industry in Canada.”
