MWC Announces First Winner of Annual Graduate Award to Concordia University
Fine Arts Student

Montreal-Based Aviation Group Scholarship Encourages Innovative Excellence in Visual Arts

MONTREAL, March 25 /CNW Telbec/ - Mechtronix World Corporation (MWC), one of the world's leading providers of airline operations and training solutions, is pleased to announce the first winner of its Mechtronix Graduate Award-worth $5,000- for a Concordia University Faculty of Fine Arts student. Mr. Xavier Hervé, President of MWC, met with and congratulated Ms. Carissa Carman, who is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts with a concentration in Fibres, in the presence of Concordia President and Vice-Chancellor Judith Woodsworth at the university's annual, Donor and Student Excellence Recognition Ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Montreal. The Mechtronix Graduate Award allows for the creation of a scholarship to encourage innovative excellence. MWC plans to host an exhibition of Ms. Carman's artwork this May.

"The Faculty of Fine Arts is one of Canada's most avant-garde institutions in terms of visual and performing arts and it is an honor to be a contributor to their innovative spirit", said Mr. Hervé, President of MWC. "Innovation is at the core of revolutionary changes whether in thinking, arts or science and it should be encouraged at all levels. If not for the support Mechtronix had since its creation in the late 1980's, we might have not radically changed the way flight training technology was designed and constructed. We are very happy to support these creative students and are looking forward to admiring their artwork when displayed at our premises in a couple of months."

Said Ms. Carman, "The Mechtronix award will make it possible for me to work on an extensive project this summer in a rural property outside of Joliette, Quebec. I will focus on growing dye plants, building site-specific land sculptures and becoming completely immersed in French, which is critical to my upcoming project about language and conversation. This exciting project is also critical for my thesis exhibition in 2011."

Each year for five years, through a competition, Concordia will grant a student who symbolizes innovative excellence in visual arts the graduate award, which is the most recent of numerous gifts made to Concordia by Mechtronix and follows a donation of $150,000 to the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science earlier this month. Mechtronix Systems Inc., an MWC company, was founded by a team of engineering students from Concordia and giving the new generation the opportunity to express their innovative minds is at the core of the group's values.

About Ms. Carissa Carman

Carissa Carman is a first year Master of Fine Arts Candidate in Fibres at Concordia University. Carissa is an emerging artist in collaborative, social and relational artwork and a research assistant for Subtela, Hexagram. Originally from California, she earned her BA from the University of California Chico. She has been awarded residencies and grants from the Women's Studio Workshop, Andy Warhol Foundation, New York Foundation of the Arts, New York Council of the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She most recently was the Director of the Chashama North Residency program in New York State, and recently launched her largest collaborative project The Waterpod (http://www.thewaterpod.org/), which received world-wide press and exhibition locations throughout New York City. She has artworks in major collections at Yale, Rhode Island School of Design, Virginia Commonwealth and Wesleyan University.

About The Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University

The Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University enjoys a longstanding reputation as one of Canada's foremost institutions for the study and creation of visual and performing arts. Nine departments and three research centres provide the most comprehensive range of fine arts programs and research in the country. The role of the Faculty is to champion the arts as a vital and strategic activity that shapes and reflects contemporary culture. Our success is evident by the number of faculty members and alumni who are among Canada's most celebrated contemporary artists. Located in Montreal and benefiting from the vibrant culture that this offers, the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University continues to attract the best and the brightest in Fine Arts in Canada and beyond.

About Mechtronix World Corporation

Mechtronix World Corp. (MWC) is a world leader in the development and delivery of innovative aircrew training solutions for general, business and commercial aviation. Based in Montreal, the holding organization comprises three core operating divisions, Mechtronix Systems Inc., Mechtronix Capital and ETOPS Aviation Services. With a team of 250+ employees strategically located around the globe - America, Europe and Asia - MWC offers integrated solutions to provide customers with training and operational products and services to fund and support next generation training centers. Worldwide customers include major airlines, training centers and training organizations. Backed by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Canada's largest institutional investor and Richardson Capital Limited, a leading Canadian private equity firm, MWC is one of the top providers in the global flight simulation and training industry. To learn more, visit www.mwc.mechtronix.com.

For further information: Concordia University: Lucy Niro, Director, Communications, Advancement and Alumni Relations, [phone], ext. 4977, Cell: [phone], [email protected]; Mechtronix Systems Inc.: Adeline Gautier, Marketing Director, [phone], [email protected]