California State University, Los Angeles-Cerritos College
About
California State University, Los Angeles is partnering with Cerritos College to compete in the three-year Battery Workforce Challenge collegiate competition.
Mission
Our mission as the California State University, Los Angeles–Cerritos College Charging Eagles Battery Workforce Challenge team is to educate and train the next generation of engineers and vocational specialists in EV battery pack design, build, and maintenance. We are providing hands-on experience and cross-disciplinary collaboration through the designing, building, testing and integration of a battery pack into a production Stellantis vehicle. By building a partnership between Cal State LA and Cerritos College, we will create a lasting pipeline of EV workers in Southern California.
Goals
Our external goals include:
- Placing within the top quartile in all deliverables for each year of the competition
- Successfully demonstrating engineering excellence that exceeds stakeholders' expectations
Our internal goals are:
- Increasing our internal team by 10 new students every year at the competition
- Maintain a 75 percent retention rate within the internal team of volunteers every year of the competition
- Develop a strong engineering team with at least eight students in each swim lane
- Create a safe environment for each one of our students
- Highlight diversity, equity and inclusion as top priorities for our team
Team Members
Luis Arias
Vehicle Systems Integration Lead
California State University, Los Angeles
Katherine Bonomo
BattScholar Funding
California State University, Los Angeles
Isabel Builes
Project Manager
California State University, Los Angeles
Brian Castillo
Engineering Manager
California State University, Los Angeles
Erick Gross
Thermal Lead
California State University, Los Angeles
Manuel Haro
Vocational Liaison
California State University, Los Angeles
Mario Medina
Lead Faculty Advisor
California State University, Los Angeles
Joe Mulleary
Vocational Faculty Advisor
Cerritos College
Nidavone Niravanh
Lead Safety Advisor
California State University, Los Angeles
Masood Shahverdi
Co-Lead Faculty Advisor
California State University, Los Angeles
Cao Tran
Battery Pack Software Lead
California State University, Los Angeles
Raymond Tran
Battery Pack Hardware Lead
California State University, Los Angeles
Get Involved
We will email all interested students about upcoming general meetings and announcements. All club meetings and opportunities will be posted on Discord, Teams and our social media platforms. Other opportunities include:
- Meetings: General meetings are held every other Tuesday at 3 p.m. at CSULA ECST B310. Project-specific meetings are as follows:
- Project management: Every other Tuesday at 3 p.m. held at CSULA ECST B110
- Thermal management: Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m. at the CSULA Marketplace
- Mechanical: Tuesdays from 2-3 p.m. at the CSULA Makerspace
- Battery Electrics Management: Tuesdays from 4 to 4:45 p.m. at the CSULA ET A209.
- Instrumentation/Software: Wednesdays from 5-6 p.m. online. Contact project manager Isabel Builes at gbuiles@calstatela.edu for the link.
- Workshops: We will provide various engineering subdivision workshops and experiences encompassing manufacturing, machine learning, electrochem, cell design, high-voltage systems, battery design, Matlab, structural computer-aided engineering, product lifecycle management, Simscape and much more.
- Mentorship Program: Receive a Battery Workforce Challenge mentor and/or mentee. Learn more about leadership on the CSULA-Cerritos College’s BattChallenge team. Take an active role to lead others through the competition.
- Events: Volunteer at the CSULA College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology Charging Eagles Table during events and take an active role to gain insight on the outreach portion of the club. You will even walk away with some swag.
