Entries Sought for Aluminum Extrusion Student Design Competition

The ET Foundation, the education and research arm of the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), is seeking entries for the 2007 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The aim of the competition, sponsored by Hydro Aluminum North America, is to promote the understanding and use of extruded aluminum profiles, as well as highlight innovations and recognize excellence in aluminum extrusion design. Students studying design and engineering at universities, colleges, and schools around the world are invited to participate.

The competition offers an opportunity for students to show off their creativity and ingenuity. "Some of the most interesting and innovative ideas come from students," commented ET Foundation President Rand Baldwin, CAE. "Last year's Grand-Prize-winning entry is one such example." Micah Bowers, a sophomore studying industrial design at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, won for his concept of a Sea-Craft Rescue Bed or SEREBE, a litter to transport an injured person out of the water. It was the first time in the history of the competition that a student won the Grand Prize in a combined competition with professional designers. "Although the 2007 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition is only open to students this time, we expect to see many cutting-edge designs that show off the versatility of extruded aluminum," said Baldwin.

Entries may encompass any number of end-use categories, including transportation, industrial, consumer, commercial, and structural. Winning entries will be those that demonstrate the benefits of aluminum extrusions, whether by inventing a new product or improving an existing one, by achieving the following objectives: ease of fabrication and assembly, cost-effectiveness, innovation, new application capability, customization, close tolerances, improvement of extrusion processes, and likelihood of market success.

A Call for Entries was distributed in October to more than 1,000 members of academia. Judging will follow the entry deadline, which is February 12, 2007. Judges for the Competition will represent the aluminum extrusion industry and the trade press. The Foundation will award a total of $8,000 in prize money, including a first-, second-, and third-place prize, as well as the Hydro Sustainable Design Award, which is presented to the entry that, in addition to meeting the ET Foundation's criteria, best addresses societal and/or environmental concerns. An example of the Sustainable Design Award includes the 2006 winning entry by Jennifer Harmon of Purdue University, who won for the Modular Arch Construction Set (MACS)-a portable housing set that required no tools to set up.

CLICK HERE for more details about the 2007 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition, including an official entry form.