Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science

News and Events

February 9, 2012

Mechanical engineering PhD student places second in national automotive research and development competition

Mechanical engineering PhD student Anthony Lombardi placed second in the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition in Mississauga on February 1.

Held in conjunction with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters’ manufacturing summit, the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition showcases leading edge technologies and automotive knowledge developed in part by Canadian university graduate students. Each contestant is given three minutes to present a business case for their research before a panel of expert judges, who then question the contestants on the merits of their research and its potential benefit to the Canadian economy. Lombardi earned the second-place, $5,000-prize for his work on reducing distortion in aluminum engine blocks.

As Canada’s automotive research program, AUTO21 supports research projects 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. The organization provides funding to research and development projects at close to 50 universities across the country. Over 400 students contribute to these projects, along with nearly 200 academic researchers.

At Ryerson, AUTO21 currently funds four research projects. Mechanical and industrial engineering professors Drs. Daolun Chen, Ahmad Ghasempoor and Ravi Ravindran are working on AUTO21-funded projects in the area of materials and manufacturing, while computer science professor Dr. Jelena Misic conducts AUTO21-funded research in the area of intelligent systems and sensors.