EcoCAR 3, sponsored by the Department of Energy and General Motors and managed by Argonne National Laboratory, just finished its first year of competition. The University’s team received numerous awards while competing in Seattle throughout the past year.
“The team received seven awards, including four first place awards,” said Brittany Galloway, the communications manager of EcoCAR 3, and a second-year graduate student studying advertising and public relations.
She said the team learned from the competition this year and is striving to place higher next year.
After the first year, the UA team was named the “Team to Watch,” and also placed first for its media relations report, outreach presentation, Clean Cities Coalition Outreach Initiative and for executing the most creative outreach event. These accolades assisted in placing the team in the top half of the competition.
The purpose of the project is to give students the opportunity to gain work experience before they enter the automotive industry. The competition also gives students exposure to jobs and careers in business, engineering, communications, finance and operations management.
Travis Foust, a second-year graduate student studying mechanical engineering, is an engineering manager for the EcoCAR 3 project.
“I think this is the best program for engineering students because it gives them the opportunity to work with the tools and software they are going to use in the automotive industry,” he said.
The EcoCAR 3 project lasts a total of four years, leaving the University three more years to meet their goal of placing higher in the competition.
“We learned a lot from last year,” Galloway said. “We would love to be in the top five next year.”
Foust said he believes the team has the capability to place higher with continued focus and hard work.
“We got eighth place this year,” he said. “Everyone is on board to work hard, and it is a great time to be a part of this team right now.”
