PACE partnership unveiled

Officials from General Motors Canada, McMaster University and a number of other partnering companies debuted a new engineering lab in Hamilton today that could shape the future of sustainable transportation and design.

This latest arm of the worldwide PACE collaborative means McMaster’s engineering students will be equipped with state-of-the-art computer-based hardware and engineering software.

The university also receives technical and educational materials for student and instructor training and academic support.

“We want our engineering and technology students equipped to thrive in the automotive industry of the future,” said Patrick Deane, president and vice-chancellor at McMaster.

PACE is a corporate alliance between General Motors, Autodesk, HP, Oracle and Siemens PLM Software. Founded in 1999, PACE seeks to partner with leading academic institutions throughout the world through the contribution of computer-based engineering tools.

Additional Canadian partnerships include the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and Dalhousie University in Halifax.

According to General Motors, the new relationship with McMaster will lead to better educated and better-equipped graduates who are familiar with much of the cutting edge technology used now when they enter the automotive industry.