By Em Jankauski
Matilde D’Arpino has been named the BattChallenge’s outstanding university faculty advisor in year two of the competition. She received a trophy for her accomplishment earlier in May at the year-end competition held in Indianapolis from May 4-9.
We caught up with D’Arpino, lead faculty advisor for The Ohio State University & Columbus State Community College’s BattChallenge team who is also an OSU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering research assistant professor and a researcher at the university’s Center for Automotive Research, in a fun Q&A.
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Q: What does earning this award mean to you and the OSU & CSCC team?
A: “There are more than 24 amazing faculty members supporting this competition. I am very honored to have received this award. I am even more honored because this nomination comes from my students. Well, I guess they are not officially all my students, but it sure feels that way! I reviewed the video (submitted for my) nomination, and I am impressed to see the impact of this competition on the team culture.”
Q: What’s your why behind providing your team all that it needs to succeed?
A: “I believe that diversity of technical backgrounds and cultural backgrounds are the key for a successful learning and working environment. My research team and my work with the BattChallenge has been founded on this idea.
“This competition has given me the chance to expand my reach even further. Working with students and faculty and Columbus State Community College has been enriching the team, the students and me personally.
“This program is about technology development and of course, we all have been learning and expanding our knowledge, and now we are all connected and have the commitment of making this battery pack while having fun!
“So, my role is to make sure that the students have a long-term vision for their project and for their careers, but I like to challenge them in approach things with optimism and enjoyment so that hard work can become fun.”
Q: What do you hope your legacy is on the future of the battery workforce?
A: “At OSU, we have been used to seeing the amazing achievements of the EcoCar team. They are a very well-oiled successful program with infrastructure and team culture. It is easy to get into the mindset that we all need to be the number one. Of course, the team is there to win, to bring home trophies and get evidence of their good work. I try to push the team to do their best and to learn, more than to go and win. The trophies will come if you do good work.”
