GM Canada president hails McMaster for ‘long-standing history of innovative research’

Carlisle

'The work that’s going on [at McMaster], the research and R&D, software, we saw some really, really cool stuff here that can be groundbreaking in the future that we’ve been working on with the University,' GM Canada president Steve Carlisle (seated) said during his visit to campus. 


GM Canada president Steve Carlisle toured McMaster on Thursday, praising the University’s student car teams and advances being made in automotive research.

Carlisle visited software and battery research labs, met with engineering students, faculty and staff and gave a speech to a capacity crowd as part of the automaker’s efforts to support innovation for the future of the automobile.

“The work that’s going on [at McMaster], the research and R&D, software, we saw some really, really cool stuff here that can be groundbreaking in the future that we’ve been working on with the University,” Carlisle said during his visit.

Carlisle also met with members of the EcoCar and Formula SAE student teams, which GM sponsors. The four-year EcoCAR 3 challenge pits McMaster engineering, business and communication students against teams from 15 other universities across North America in a race to make the Chevrolet Camaro lighter, faster, and more fuel-efficient. McMaster’s Formula SAE team designs a hybrid car to race in competitions.

“The [EcoCAR and Formula SAE] program is great but more than that, the students, and the way it’s organized and how they’re engaged in it and what they’re learning from it and the results that they’re producing and the continuity over generations of students – it’s really inspiring.”

“McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering has a long-standing history of innovative research in the automotive sector,” said Ishwar K. Puri, McMaster’s Dean of Engineering. “Our Faculty is committed to building the car of the future. We welcome this opportunity to broaden our students’ knowledge of future trends in the auto sector and to strengthen our research partnerships with General Motors.”

GM’s Canadian Engineering Centre in Oshawa is currently hiring more than 100 software and controls engineers to support a new mandate related to “connected car” systems, environmental and urban mobility solutions.