Written by: Ella Hart/Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Nearly 30 years ago, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology admitted its first class of women. In the time since, women have excelled at the institution, both academically and as a part of campus organizations. The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology & Ivy Tech Community College Battery Workforce Challenge team is happy to be one of those campus organizations, where women contribute as team members and leaders.
Peek behind the curtain and meet some of the women shaping the future of EVs and battery innovation. Delve into their backgrounds, experiences and insights into the world of STEM and competition.
Meet Svarnika Bommakanti
Svarnika Bommakanti is a senior mechanical engineering major at RHIT and contributes as a member of our Senior Capstone team as well as the mechanical hardware sub team.
Outside of BattChallenge, she is a part of the RHIT women’s golf team and is an English as a Second Language tutor. She is a buddy for the Japanese Exchange students from the University of Aizu (Aizuwakamatsu, Japan). Bommakanti has held internships at Cummins and Wolfspeed, which have fueled her interest in the automotive and EV industries.
Q: Why did you join the RHIT BattChallenge team?
A: “I am part of the BattChallenge because the world needs to move to healthier and efficient systems, and developing EV batteries is very important for reducing gas emissions.
“This challenge is not only stimulating, but I love collaboration and getting first-hand experience on a multi-disciplinary team is irreplaceable, especially being part of the ME Hardware team. We’ve been able to continuously improvise and innovate as new problems arise, and this is exciting for me and prepared me for real-world situations.”
Q: What does it mean to you to be a woman in STEM?
A: “Being a woman in STEM means inspiring women and young girls to pursue their dreams, regardless of the stigma around their chosen field. STEM isn’t always advertised or exposed to women (in the same way) as it is to men, and it’s important that we continue to push for female engagement in STEM. Having women in STEM brings in new outlooks, creativity and passion that is unique to the experiences that women go through. The more diverse a team is, the more applicable the solution is to the greater good.”
Q: What are you most excited about in the future of the competition?
A: “I’m looking forward to the design stages of the competition, which includes prototyping our battery and addressing new issues that are involved in that process. Creating an idea on paper, and proving it theoretically is something we get to do in the classroom, but what’s really fun is putting that into a physical solution.
“I’ve really enjoyed looking into new cooling systems for the battery and looking at overall cell count and battery/module layout. Additionally, I’ve enjoyed working with people from different majors and getting to learn about the insight that they have, and the unique solutions that they bring.”
Meet Makenna Gill
Makenna Gill is a freshman at RHIT majoring in chemical engineering major and minoring in cybersecurity and is our Cell Characterization team lead.
Outside of BattChallenge, she is involved in orchestra, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers and Greek life. She is interested in going into green energy solutions for the climate crisis in the future.
Q: Why did you join the RHIT BattChallenge team?
A: “I am a member of BattChallenge as it is focuses on designing the future of green automotive engineering. Batteries are a seemingly critical part of a sustainable future, but there is still a lot to figure out within the space of batteries and electric vehicles.”
Q: What does it mean to you to be a woman in STEM?
A: “Being a woman in STEM is super empowering as I get to work with other amazing women every day and have amazing women to look up to who have paved the path for engineering to be something I even considered. I remember being little and refusing the thought of going into engineering as there were no women in my life who were engineers. The image I had (of engineers) was a bunch of middle-aged men.
“Representation is super important in increasing the number of women (in STEM) and encouraging women to go into STEM. Having women in STEM fields is critical as there are many design decisions that engineers make that have an impact on everyday safety. Without women as part of the process, there are safety issues that might not be detected.”
Q: What are you most excited about in the future of the competition?
A: “I am excited to start implementing the design choices we have made and (put) the work we have done this year into action. I really enjoyed getting to go to the winter workshop to better see the full picture and to get to see all of the ways that we are truly on the forefront of designing and creating working electric vehicles for the general population.”
Meet Zixin Fan
Zixin Fan is a senior at RHIT majoring in mechanical engineering major. She is part of our senior capstone team.
Outside of the BattChallenge, she is a member of Maker Lab, which gives students the opportunity to innovate, create and collaborate on projects of their choosing.
Q: Why did you join the RHIT BattChallenge team?
A: “My senior capstone team contributes to one of our RHIT BattChallenge sub teams. I am most interested in designing the internal structure of the battery pack and exploring how it functions.”
Q: What does it mean to you to be a woman in STEM?
A: “I cannot tell the exact importance to having women in STEM, but I feel that there’s no need or reason to exclude anyone from STEM. My gender isn’t something that should have any impact on the quality of my work or my abilities as an engineer. I chose engineering as my major simply because I am interested in it.”
Q: What are you most excited about in the future of the competition?
A: “I am super eager to work on fabricating the mini module for the year-end competition. I can’t wait to work with other sub-teams and develop a successful model for our team!”
Each member of the RHIT & Ivy Tech team brings a unique blend of talent, passion and dedication to the table. The crew is beyond excited to see how it can work together to continue to encourage the advancement of women in engineering, while also contributing to the future of EV technology.
