Performance teams thrive in the trenches
Benjamin Suarez was interested in planes. After joining the RIT Aero team, he shaped his future plans in flight.
Students arrive at RIT with interests in racing, space, cybersecurity, and engine systems but with little experience in these areas. Performance teams change that.
Students on Baja and Formula teams learn about combustion and all-electric engines. The EVT motorcycle, clean snowmobile, and Hot Wheelz solar car are built with sustainable technologies. Aero, SPEX, and the RIT Launch Initiative explore the popularity of flight.
Technical skills learned as part of performance teams, working with peers, and overcoming setbacks all become assets for co-ops and eventually careers.
“I only got involved with Aero last year. And I regret not getting involved sooner,” said Suarez, a fifth-year BS/ME mechanical engineering student from Hamburg, N.Y. “I was able to use information from my flight dynamics class for the competition we were going to last year. I helped with design. It was not something I’d ever thought I’d be able to do.”
The Hot Wheelz team transitioned from a hybrid vehicle to building a solar car from scratch.
“Many of our members come in with minimal knowledge about building a vehicle and it’s our goal to provide a safe environment where everyone can learn together and thrive,” said Kathleen Lamkin-Kennard, professor of mechanical engineering and Hot Wheelz adviser. “This is particularly important for many of our female-identifying students that might not have the confidence to join a team where it seems like everyone around them has been building cars their whole lives.”
RIT has not had a solar car since the 1990s. But, several years and a few space- aged designs later, the team had a 16-foot vehicle for the 2024 Formula Sun Grand Prix. A problem during pre-testing dashed plans for the event but not hopes for a future competition.
“Seeing members’ confidence and technical and communication skills grow as a result of being on Hot Wheelz is remarkable,” said Lamkin-Kennard. “Employers love to recruit from our team. They get access to a group of 50 engineers at once who are equipped with hands-on skills, adaptability, and know-how to tackle real-world problems.”
Top finishes
NTID’s College Bowl student team took first place in a July 2024 competition for the seventh time.
• RIT Formula took first place overall among 78 collegiate teams at a June 2024 Michigan SAE Formula race.
• RIT Clean Snowmobile took first place at the March 2024 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.
• RIT Launch Initiative won its first national title in 2023 at the Space- port America Cup competition.
• RIT Baja took first place in June 2022 at a Rochester event with more than 100 collegiate race teams.
• At the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition international finals in January 2021, students took home the top trophy.
• Hot Wheelz took first place overall in the all-electric category of the 2020 Formula Hybrid SAE Challenge.