Hydro extends aluminium contest deadline
(Feb. 20, 2007) Hydro and the ET Foundation are inviting students from around the world to compete in the 2007 International Aluminium Extrusion Design Competition. The deadline for entries has been extended to February 23.
Established in 2000 by the ET Foundation, the annual competitions have attracted hundreds of entries from around the world every year. The competition's goal is to promote greater understanding and use of extruded aluminium profiles as well as to highlight innovations and recognize excellence in aluminium extrusion design.
Students may submit entries in categories including the Structural, Transportation, and Commercial/Industrial/Consumer product areas. Winning designs are those that best demonstrate the benefits of aluminium extrusions, whether by creating a new product or improving an existing one.
The entries will be judged on four basic criteria: creativity, practicality, process improvement, and market potential. This year, cash prizes total $8,000.
Hydro has been the exclusive prize sponsor for the ET Foundation since 2004.
The company also sponsors a Hydro Sustainable Design Award, which is presented to the student entry that, in addition to meeting the basic ET Foundation Design Competition criteria, best addresses societal and/or environmental concerns.
"Sustainability is an important value for our company and an important attribute of our industry," says Lynn Brown, who is head of Sales & Marketing for Hydro's extrusion activities in North America. "We believe that our ongoing success depends not just on meeting financial criteria, but also on enhancing the viability of the communities we work in."
The winner of the Hydro Sustainable Design Award will be the student who best develops a viable extrusion-based product that meets the demands of the environment while contributing to the quality of life for its intended users. Last year's winner, Jennifer Harmon, a student at Purdue University, won the award for her design of a Modular Arch Construction Set which could be used for easy-to-assemble shelters needed during disaster relief situations and at refugee camps.
Innovation is a key objective of the competition. By exposing students to new ideas and challenges, it stimulates them to explore new ideas, new techniques, and new uses for aluminium.
"We feel strongly that the health of the extrusion industry is dependent upon innovation," says Brown. "A strong and visible Aluminium Extrusion Design Competition is a key means of stimulating new applications and a renewed interest among students and professionals. And it helps attract bright young students to the field."
For more information or to submit an entry form, please visit www.etfoundation.org.
The Extrusion Technology for Aluminum Profiles Foundation has been established for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes to develop, promote, provide, and fund education and research related to aluminum extrusion processes and technologies. For more information, contact the ET Foundation at 1000 N. Rand Road, Suite 214, Wauconda, Illinois 60084. Telephone: (847) 526-2010; or visit www.etfoundation.org.
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