WATERLOO – Anna Sinicki, an MBA student at Wilfrid Laurier University, has partnered with a team of students from the nearby University of Waterloo to help promote the school's involvement in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge.

As a member of the University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT), Sinicki and her teammates will reveal their hydrogen fuel-cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicle at an EcoCAR educational luncheon April 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the UW Davis Centre lounge.

The event is designed to highlight the unique qualities of the team’s zero-emissions vehicle, as well as promote the team’s involvement in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. Participating teams are required to redesign and re-engineer a GM-donated vehicle to minimize fuel consumption and reduce emissions while maintaining the vehicle’s performance and consumer appeal. 

UWAFT is comprised of two subteams: the technical team, which involves 40 UW engineering students in both the undergraduate and graduate engineering programs; and the outreach team, which is made up of 17 students, 15 of which are undergraduate environmental studies students, one graduate environmental studies student, and one Laurier MBA student (Sinicki).

As an outreach coordinator, Sinicki has been leading a group of 15 students to organize, manage and oversee the execution of marketing activities, including planning and executing local EcoCAR events, obtaining local media coverage, using online marketing tools to educate and inform the public about EcoCAR, as well as building community and educational awareness.

"Both universities are very excited by this cross-campus collaboration,” says Sinicki. “We certainly hope to evolve Laurier's involvement with UWAFT's business efforts in the years to come.”

The competition has attracted 16 universities from Canada and the United States.