UWINDSOR ENGINEER AND GM CANADA CELEBRATE AWARD WITH CANADA'S TOP SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCHERS

By General Motors of Canada - Dr. Ahmet Alpas, a University of Windsor engineering professor, and General Motors (GM) of Canada were honoured by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, at Rideau Hall in celebration of Canada's top science and engineering research awards. This past November, Dr. Alpas received the 2010 Synergy Award for Innovation from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for his team's collaborative research with GM. Synergy Award recipients, along with other top NSERC award winners, were recognized Monday evening in a reception hosted by Governor General Johnston.

"We are proud of Dr. Ahmet Alpas and his team who have performed outstanding research with GM," said Dr. Alan Wildeman, president of the University of Windsor, who attended the celebration at Rideau Hall. "We value our partnership with GM and NSERC as we know this work will positively impact the automotive industry and the nation."

The University of Windsor and GM have been working together as partners since 2002. Beginning as a small contract, the relationship has grown and now includes GM laboratory access for UWindsor researchers.

"GM has been a leading supporter of collaborative research in Canada, and Dr. Alpas and his team have shown why these partnerships are important, delivering results that have benefitted the automotive industry and beyond," added Kevin Williams, president and managing director of GM of Canada. "This award-winning research has led to efficiency improvements in a number of areas, including powertrain manufacturing and vehicle operation."

Dr. Alpas is one of only four winners in Canada to receive this year's prestigious Synergy award. The prize, which includes a $200,000 research grant, allows Dr. Alpas and his team to further invest in their innovative work with GM, examining ways to increase energy-efficiency in vehicles by developing lightweight materials for automotive products and manufacturing systems.

The Synergy Awards for Innovation were launched in 1995 by NSERC to recognize partnerships in natural sciences and engineering research and development between universities and industry.

NSERC is a federal agency that helps make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for all Canadians. The agency supports some 30,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 1,500 Canadian companies to participate and invest in postsecondary research projects.