College Credits: University Student Competes In Formula Race

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Bolingbrook resident gears up for Formula SAE Collegiate Design Series event

The COVID-19 global pandemic brought much of daily life to a screeching halt for many in the past year, but Saginaw Valley State University's Cardinal Formula Racing Team maintained its forward momentum, preparing for SAE International's Collegiate Design Series (CDS) Formula SAE(R) competition. Now, more than a year after the 2020 competition was canceled, the team is gearing up for the Formula SAE (FSAE) validation event at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Brooklyn, July 7-10.

Ethan Jones of Bolingbrook is a member of this year's Cardinal Formula Racing team.

"Having last year's competition scrapped was very hard because it was the last year for a large part of the senior members on the team," said Edward Tomczyk, a mechanical engineering major from Grand Blanc who is this year's team captain. "We did have our car driving before lockdown. From what I saw we were one of the only teams with a running car before lockdown. This made it very nice because we got to hit this year with a running car. We got more testing and driving time on this car than any other car we have ever had. The downside is that these cars have a very short life span and we have had to do a lot of maintenance and fixes that we don't usually have to worry about."

While this year's team may have had a jump start on the car, the team members have worked hard to overcome a significant learning curve.

"Almost every person on the team had no experience working on this type of project," Tomczyk said. "This car is built by a bunch of students with very limited experience, including some with none. Everything goes wrong at least once, sometimes all at the same time. But if you have the drive and creativeness, what I like to call an 'any means necessary' attitude, there isn't a problem that cannot be fixed."

Brooks Byam, SVSU professor of mechanical engineering who serves as the racing team's faculty adviser, has good reason to be optimistic. Since becoming the team's adviser in 1998, he has steered it toward continual improvements, creating a culture of success and building an outstanding reputation in the FSAE college circuit. While competition has grown steadily over the years, expanding to include international teams, Cardinal Formula Racing has held its own, recording the highest finish for exclusively undergraduate teams for five consecutive years.

Cardinal Formula Racing has placed in the top 20 five times overall: 6th place in 2002, 8th in 2005, 14th in 2008 and 18th in 2010. The team placed 19th in 2019.

— Merit Page News

Students make dean's list at Miami University

Miami University students who are ranked in the top twenty percent of undergraduate students within each division for second semester 2020-21 have been named to the Dean's list recognizing academic excellence.

Kalysa Pampuch of Bolingbrook, IL (60440) is earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Spanish

Mason Schmitt of Bolingbrook, IL (60490) is earning a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Premedical Studies

Brianne Pirkins of Bolingbrook, IL (60490) is earning a B.S. in Engineering in Bioengineering

Nationally recognized as one of the most outstanding undergraduate institutions, Miami University is a public university located in Oxford, Ohio. With a student body of nearly 19,000, Miami effectively combines a wide range of strong academic programs with faculty who love to teach and the personal attention ordinarily found only at much smaller institutions.

— Merit Page News

Ali Didier of Bolingbrook makes Dean's List at RIT

Ali Didier of Bolingbrook (60490) was named to the Dean's List at Rochester Institute of Technology for the 2021 Spring Semester. Didier is in the business program.

Rochester Institute of Technology is home to leading creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers. Founded in 1829, RIT enrolls about 18,600 students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, making it among the largest private universities in the U.S.

— Merit Page News

Augustana College announces spring semester dean's list

Augustana College announced more than 1,100 students were named to the Dean's List for the 2020-21 spring semester. Students who have earned this academic honor have maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a four-point scale for courses taken during the term.

Haider Ali of Bolingbrook, IL majoring in Biology.

Alexis Fogt of Bolingbrook, IL majoring in Biology.

Brett Kliegl of Bolingbrook, IL majoring in Business Administration- Marketing.

Spencer Napiwocki of Bolingbrook, IL majoring in Geology.

Jonathan Pape of Bolingbrook, IL majoring in Environmental Studies.

Known for sparking passionate curiosity, Augustana College is an empowering home to explore over 90 areas of study. Augustana's innovative program, Augie Choice, transforms students into global citizens, thinkers and doers with a $2,000 grant to explore the world, complete an internship or conduct research with a professor. Augustana students achieve a balance inside and outside of the classroom; ranking top ten in all divisions for Academic All Americans. Transformed to be different, current students and alumni include healthcare heroes, Nobel Prize winners, CEOs, college presidents and leaders across all continents. The college enrolls 2,500 curious changemakers who get energized by four years as part of a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.

— Merit Page News