Hot Wheelz takes flag
Elizabeth Lamark/ETC Photo
Hot Wheelz driver Maura Chmielowiec, a mechanical engineering student from Batavia, N.Y., reached a top speed of 58 miles-per-hour in the race.
The e-dragster team captain is aptly named Ferrari. The driver of the speedy electric vehicle raced cars and motorcycles growing up.
They are part of the nine-member, all-female Hot Wheelz team that went 100 meters in just under six seconds to win the E-Dragster Race at this year’s Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival. More than a dozen teams competed in the electric-powered vehicle drag race against RIT President Bill Destler on May 5.
Students from the Women in Engineering program used a light-weight go-cart chassis fitted with six AGM-lead batteries to power the 72-volt, 10-horsepower motor to give them the edge in the competition.
Driver Maura Chmielowiec, a first-year mechanical engineering student, reached a top speed of 58 miles-per-hour. “Doing this,” she said, “I got to see that my mechanical engineering knowledge can be paired with electrical to create something really great—and absolutely fast.” Natalie Ferrari, captain of the Women in Engineering team, agreed. “We kept tweaking and tweaking the car the last few weeks. It really paid off,” said the mechanical engineering major from Greensburg, Pa.
The team chose an antique banjo from Destler’s personal collection instead of $1,000 for the grand prize, saying the banjo was a trophy in itself, something they could keep and display to remember the victory.
Recommended News
-
November 21, 2024
!['Various people put their hands together in a circle.']()
Americans agree more than they might think − not knowing this jeopardizes the nation’s shared values
An essay written by Lawrence Torcello, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy, published by The Conversation.
-
November 21, 2024
!['an illustrated image of a pixelated face appears next to the words real or fake.']()
Detecting digital deception
Today, artificial intelligence is being used to manipulate media. At RIT, a team of student and faculty researchers is leading the charge to help journalists and intelligence analysts figure out what is real and what is fake. Their work has more than $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and Knight Foundation.
-
November 21, 2024
![two men sit at a table looking at a laptop. A third man leans over the table to look at the laptops screen.]()
In and out of Africa
Africa is rich in natural resources and contains one of the most diverse ecosystems across the globe. The Sahara Desert itself is larger than the continental United States. With all the unique landscapes, wildlife, and growing urban areas, more than 30 RIT faculty have recognized the importance of traveling to the continent, all backed by RIT Global.
-
November 20, 2024
![Five black men stand in a semicircle in a small garden in Kenya.]()
RIT professor helps to tackle energy access in rural Africa
Williams’ collaborative work tackles the subject of energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, the United Nations established Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
