January 16, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR JACQUELYN JURGA IN MA
Hello Katie in N.J. -
Wow! Auto engineering, design and racing. To find the right school, I
suggest you narrow down your wide range of interrests first, then a school
will be more easily matched to your career goals. Ask yourself what part
of auto engineering you are the most interrested in. Such as engine,
combustion, engine computer systems, electrical systems, robotics, fuel
injection, interior design, plastics etc. That will narrow down what
kind of engineering you want to major in. Not only one engineer designs an
automobile. A whole team of specialists in particular engineering fields,
work very closely for months to accomplish a complete assembly.
You mention design. Would that be of the sheet metal parts to make up the
style of the car? That would be mechanical engineering.
How the dashboard works... would be electrical engineering. The engine
might entice you to become a combustion engineer.
In general, mechanical engineering would give you the basics to get a good
job in the field of automotive engineering. Good schools for mechanical
engineering in the North East where you (and I ) live, would be M.I.T. in
Boston, Worcester Polytech in Worcester, MA, and North Eastern University.
I am sure there are schools in N.J. that are good also... however I do not
have any information on any. Your library and school would help you with
that.
Study your math hard, learn to sketch and understand drafting (CAD studies
would be a plus) and learn about metal and metal fabrication. Knowledge in
those areas will help.
Good luck to you.
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January 12, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR DENISE HARBERT IN IL
Hi Katie! I'm so glad I caught your question. I am not into cars and
racing much myself - call it overdosing from childhood - but the Harbert
men live to ride! If its got wheels or an engine, then someone in my
family has designed it, built it, or raced it: BMX bikes, motocross, motor
cycles, 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, speed boats, snow mobiles, monster trucks,
tractor pulls, stock cars, etc. So I saw your question and immediately
picked up the phone and called some of my "grease monkey" relatives to get
some advice on your question. Every one of them immediately told me about
the same two schools:
- GMI (General Motors Institute), which has been renamed Kettering
University, and is located in Flint, Michigan, http://www.gmi.edu/NewName/
or http://www.gmi.edu/undergrad/
- Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana -
https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/

However, after they all mentioned these two schools first, they all thought
more and gave me several others, all of which were different. The general
story was that, although those two schools graduated the most auto racing
engineers, any college with a good engineering program, particularly
mechanical and electrical engineering, could probably launch you into an
auto design career. They all highly recommended some kind of school in the
midwest (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, etc.) because racing is hugely
popular in those states, especially Michigan (which is where all my
relatives came from).

Michigan was the beginning of the auto industry because Henry Ford designed
his Model T and the world's first assembly line construction there. If you
haven't been to Michigan before, you might want to check out "The Henry
Ford" (http://www.hfmgv.org/), which is located in Dearborn, Michigan. From
there, you can learn about the Henry Ford Museum, which will tell you the
history of cars. Also, tickets can be purchased from "The Henry Ford" to
tour the Ford Rouge Industrial Complex, the world's largest automotive
complex. Among other things, the Rouge complex is where the Ford Formula
One racing engines are designed and built. Tours of the plant begin again
on May 1, 2004 for the first time in 24 years. If you can figure out a way
to convince a parent or teacher to buy tickets in advance and plan a
vacation or school field trip there, you can actually see how cars are
built! (The press release is at
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/release_display.cfm?release=15641). You
might have a better chance of convincing them of the educational merit of
such a trip if you tell them about Greenfield Village (also through "The
Henry Ford"), which has a lot of historical information about life in
America before the industrial revolution - but most teenagers find that
boring. Finally, the Ford web site (http://www.ford.com) can lead you to
racing information at
(http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/racing/default.htm?referrer=home&source=em).

My family members also all mentioned Ryan Newman, who is pretty much a
rookie when it comes to professional racing, but he's come out of "nowhere"
to suddenly start winning professional races left and right over the last
few years. (2003 Nascar Winston Cup Winningest Driver of the Year. See
http://www.ryan12newman.com/, click the bottom right corner to enter the
site at http://www.ryan12newman.com/welcome.htm and click on "About Ryan"
for his biography and driving statistics.) Apparently, everyone believes
that the reason why his "rookie" racing record is so strong is because of
what he learned at Purdue when he got his B.S. in Engineering. Although
cars are typically designed by people with mechanical engineering degrees,
mechanical engineering is a field that covers areas that are not always
related to cars. Ryan always knew he wanted to study cars and nothing
else, so he entered Purdue's Interdisciplinary Engineering program and
designed his own major, which he called "Vehicle Structure
Engineering". He knows his cars inside and out, so he knows how to be a
better racer and how to better communicate with the engineers on his
crew. Other drivers tend not to be as knowledgeable about the cars they
drive and cannot speak the engineering language as well, so his education
has given him a distinct advantage in his racing career.

Finally, one of my cousins was tinkering in his garage while talking to me
on the phone and told me all about this new hobby that he's gotten into -
he races small remote control vehicles. His current project is a 2 foot
long, 2 foot tall "Mini Monster Truck" that has a 2 horsepower engine and
runs on - get this - a fuel made of an alcohol and nitromethane
combination. The thing actually goes about 40 miles per hour on a straight
and flat track, can run over rocks and tall grasses on a "cross country"
track, and has cost him about $450 in parts and equipment. (Although he
was tinkering to try to make it go faster when I was talking to
him!) Given that the fuel can be dangerous if not handled properly and
that the cars are not recommended for children under 16 without parental
supervision, I asked him how someone goes about finding such a hobby. It
didn't strike me as a "Toys R Us" sort of hobby. He laughed, and told me,
"no, definitely not!" He finds all his "toys" at Tower Hobbies
(http://www.towerhobbies.com). So check that out! Apparently, toy race
cars can run in size from a few inches to several feet, so some of them may
be more affordable for you. With today's miniature technologies, putting
together a smaller, less expensive toy car might teach you just as much as
building a real one.

I hope this gives you some new ideas, but I must point out a cautionary
fact. Auto manufacturing and racing is still one of the stubborn
"hold-out" areas for gender equity. It is still an excessively male
dominated field, so you will undoubtedly encounter resistance and perhaps
hostility when you pursue it. You should not let this stop you, but you
will need to mentally prepare yourself to fight a lot of battles and
tolerate a lot of jerks as you get more involved in your interests. Even
my relatives, who readily accept me as the "math whiz", had a hard time
getting their minds around the fact that I was asking them for advice to
help a girl who wants to pursue auto design and racing. They thought I was
lying to them because they'd never heard of such a thing before! In their
experiences, women in the auto racing world were the people who wandered
around in skimpy clothes and flirted with the drivers. The thought of
having a woman in the pit or behind the wheel was a radically foreign
concept that they weren't very happy about. The good news is that they did
give me the information I asked for, so they're not against the idea enough
to try to stop me from helping you get there! Hang in there. I honestly
hope you make it and turn the racing world upside down! It's long overdue!!!

********************
January 9, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR BRENDA WOLFE IN CO
I have chatted with an engineer who is heavily into cars. We both agree that most automotive engineers are mechanical engineers with a specialty. It was his suggestion to take mechanical engineering and then do as many special projects with cars as you can - ie, two colleges in Colorado have a race car design club that designs, builds and races solar cars, local SAE chapters, etc. You could also design a car for your senior project.

I also went to www.a2zcolleges.com and asked for schools in the US offering automotive engineering and got a list of over 20. You may want to check it out.
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A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN IN IL
I think the best major for you would be mechanical engineering. They
study materials, structures (like building balsa wood bridges), and
construction methods. I remember that my mechanical-engineer brother
took a 3 semester series on joining methods (1 semester on glues, 1
semester on mechanical fasteners like screws and rivets, and the last
semester on all the other joining methods). He got his degree from
Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, which was one of the best mechanical
engineering schools at that time. He's now working on tank engines.

You might also consider looking for a job at an auto shop (or a
motorcycle or lawnmower shop since the basics are the same but the
pieces are smaller and lighter) during high school. You can get
familiar with the parts of a car, with the tools used, and with the
weaknesses of existing designs. A valid complaint against engineers
is that they don't appreciate the realities faced by the users of
their designs. I'd also recommend that you purchase something with an
engine that needs repair and take it apart and re-assemble it. A lawn
mower, snowblower, or go-kart (fun!) would be cheap to buy. What you
really need is a mentor that will work with you through a project and
share his/her expertise. Actively look for such a person by talking
about your interest at the local auto shop, parts store, etc. Beware
that you'll probably meet with some resistence from small-minded
people; wear a thick skin and remember that the problem is their's,
not yours.