OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY / WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY
About
The current Ohio State University and Wilberforce University EcoCAR team consists of 10 hardworking team leads and many team members who make up the five sub-teams in our organization. The team aims to not only excel in the competition but also to provide all of its members with hands-on experience that can be put to use both in the classroom and in the real world.
The Ohio State team has performed well in previous EcoCAR competitions, placing first overall during Year 1 of EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. In the last year of that competition, the team also placed second overall and received awards in dSPACE Leadership in Validation and AAM workmanship.
Sustaining its momentum, the team is excited to partner with Wilberforce University and has three priorities for EcoCAR EV Challenge: Achieving total job placement for both full-time and internships, increasing diversity and female involvement, and winning this year’s competition.
The team is also continuing to improve its community outreach by connecting with students of all ages and many different schools in the Columbus and Wilberforce area. Plus, it aims to increase its involvement with other organizations at The Ohio State University.
Mission
The Ohio State University and Wilberforce University EcoCAR team strives to provide students with the skills and experience necessary to push the envelope of vehicle and sustainable technology, embrace diversity and foster a competitive spirit in both the EcoCAR EV Challenge competition and in their future careers.
The team’s overall goal is to deliver a competition-ready vehicle each competition year, following the General Motors Vehicle Development Path that meets or exceeds the technical requirements provided by sponsors.
Goals
- Increase diversity and the number of women on the EcoCAR team. Currently, the team is predominately made up of male students. Out of the ten team lead positions available, only two are held by women. Thus, as the team continues to recruit undergraduate students, it is focusing on empowering female STEM students to join male-dominated areas and challenge societal norms. It is also increasing diversity by prioritizing building relationships with different Ohio State organizations.
- Achieve 100% job placement for full-time jobs and seasonal internships. One way the team is working to achieve this is by holding career-prep seminars, where it provides the opportunity for team members to get new headshots taken, have their resume reviewed and edited and receive help with navigating career-focused websites such as LinkedIn and Handshake. It has also been promoting and utilizing the career fairs held by EcoCAR.
Team Members
GET InvolveD
We are always looking to expand our team and encourage students to get involved in the EcoCAR program. We are in the process of hiring a communications manager. The rest of our team lead positions are filled. All our sub teams are available to join as a team member. Students can get involved by attending as many team meetings as they wish. These meetings are held at the Center for Automotive Research office, which is a very short drive from The Ohio State University campus. Team leads are available each meeting to pick up and drop off undergraduate students at the meetings. They are held each week on Tuesdays from 6-8pm, and on Sundays from 9am-2pm. Undergraduate team members are not required to attend every meeting, and what each student puts into EcoCAR is what they will receive from the program! All participation is volunteer-based, and we want members to learn as much as possible while attending meetings and events at their own pace.
Contact Information
Address
OSU Center for Automotive Research (CAR): 930 Kinnear Rd, Columbus, OH 43201
Grace Yeh at 275@osu.edu or osuecocarmc@gmail.com
