ACE adapting to new normal

three years," when COVID-19 hit, he said. "We were a very adaptable company, and what we do here is highly motivated by change."

In terms of the COVID-19 transition period from work to home office, Smith said it was natural.

Felipe Salomao

The Chronicle

The Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Ontario Tech University has had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide students with a safe learning environment.

The top priority for ACE since COVID-19 arrived in Canada in March 2020 has been implementing policies to prevent its spread.

"We have always taken safety [and] security [as] our utmost importance," Executive Director John Komar said. "We had developed protocols right from the start that we are all comfortable with, what we are safe with and what we feel is an ideal situation. So, we have to adapt and wear masks."

Komar is responsible for developing and executing ACE's business plans, and teaches students environmental and wind tunnel testing.

"ACE has the most sophisticated and most versatile climatic aerodynamic tunnel in the world," he said.

Moreover, ACE conducts an event with 250 high school and ACE students (more details: to find which one). The objective is to have a laboratory experience in the wind tunnel, so "we talk about fluid dynamics or aerodynamics, instead of just listening or seeing a theory," said Komar.

Furthermore, as a method to engage ACE students to keep learning, Komar said ACE sponsors design, engineering, and health science projects.

"We have helped sponsor some graduate projects where they partner with industry," he said. "They actually developed new techniques and new science."

With professors, Komar indi- cates the Fluid Dynamic course brought a Canadian Ferrari team to ACE, and students attended remotely on Google Meet, “so, that was a way to students that were off campus could feel that they were back in the [wind] tunnel, and then we did everything we normally would do."

ACE’s Research and Development Engineer, Patrick Smith, is also a graduate of Ontario Tech.

The Automotive Engineering Specialization course and the wind tunnel were Smith’s main reasons to study here.

"I was working here full time, for

"I started looking into remote testing for customers working from home and finding ways of continuing projects in development," he said. "It was very fortunate for us that we can continue to do what we love and be able to transition to it at home, as well as in-person balance."

Fourth-year student Tenuka Ananthathurai said she missed in-person classes.

"Even though teachers have a lot of ways to teach, and the experience at ACE is a good thing, it became a little bit harder because we had to do everything online," she said.

Today, ACE students learn both in person and remotely.

According to Komar, the main goal is to increase the research to the facility to the total capacity.

"We are now bringing brandnew climatic aerodynamic capabilities," he said. "Which will move us from a shift-and-a-half operation into a full two shifts, five days a week of research and development."

In addition, it provides an excellent chance for students to integrate their knowledge and experimentation in class and be employed in the future, said Ananthathurai.

"Studying here, I hopefully am graduating in 2023. I hope I am [be] able to get a full-time job," she said.