On April 1 the University of Toronto Chemical Vehicles (UTCV) student group competed in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) 2023 Eckhardt Northeast Student Regional Chem-E-Car Competition.
For the second year in a row, UTCV won first place, beating out teams from Clarkson, Cornell, McGill, and Yale just to name a few of their competitors!
“It was a very tight race, but we came out on top with a winning distance of O.494m from the target of 26m. We also placed third in the poster competition. As a team, we worked tirelessly for the past eight months improving our designing including the addition of an automatic syringe-injection system, which set us apart from the other schools,” says Pasindu Perera, Co-President of UTCV.
Pasindu also conveys that their success would not have been possible without the support from the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry (ChemE).
“On behalf of our team, we would like to thank Professor Cathy Chin for her mentorship over the last two years. She has helped dozens of students across the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering strengthen their leadership skills, organizational abilities, and teamwork. Additionally, her valuable insights to help students achieve their goals has been instrumental in preparing us for the future.” says Yuqi Lisa Zhou, Co-President of UTCV who is graduating this Spring and who also placed first in AIChE’s Student Research Poster Competition.
“Participating in this design challenge provides an opportunity for our students to enhance their problem-solving and leadership abilities, while also gaining technical expertise in wet chemistry laboratories, battery construction, and the integration of design elements,” says Professor Ramin Farnood, Chair of ChemE “This is a prime example of the kind of experiential learning opportunities that we eagerly encourage our students to participate in, as it has a significant impact on their personal growth and professional development.”
UTCV will be advancing to the 2023 international finales which will be held at the AIChE annual Student Conference in Orlando, Florida from November 3-6. The group placed 8th out of 39 teams at the 2022 international in-person championship and later on 2nd in the virtual rematch. Here’s to more outstanding finishes!
View photos from the 2023 Eckhardt Northeast Student Regional Chem-E-Car Competition.