Rookie Tales from Formula SAE: Day 4

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Alex Van Overbeeke-Costello is an intern in the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab and a passionate member of the UMass Lowell Formula SAE team. Recently, she joined her team in Barrie, Ontario  to represent SOLIDWORKS and compete in Formula North, where 45 teams from across North America showcased their small, formula-style vehicles. All Formula SAE vehicles are  conceived, designed, fabricated, and developed by students. Catch up with Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.

Last year at Lincoln, we did not perform well and I am not proud of our team for that competition. As a group, we were incohesive, had a bad and unprofessional attitude, and performed poorly.

This year, at Formula North, we did not perform well and I am extremely proud of our team for this competition. Although we did not make it all the way through tech, we did get through scrutineering, noise, and tilt which is more than last year. We also were extremely productive, cohesive, professional, and I am proud this year to be a part of this team. Every single one of us learned more than we ever have in class. We worked hard together. We built each other up and pushed each other forward. We dressed professionally, spoke professionally, and presented ourselves as a team with pride. I know that I keep tossing that word around but it is so important.

If you saw this years car, you might not think we improved very much as a team this year. If you met our team, you would see how much of an incredible stride we’ve taken. It took a complete reorganization and overhaul. It took a complete attitude change. It took better communication. It took being strict and hard on ourselves when it came to work ethic. It took new members to join and some old members to depart. This team went from a loud, rowdy, unprofessional, group of arrogant and unproductive people, to a strong, friendly, communicative, balanced, and productive group of professionals. Maybe we came in last in design and maybe we didn’t even make it through tech, but I met every single one of my goals. My goals were to get through scrutineering with this car and to leave competition with a sense of pride in my team. I could not be happier with how this event turned out. We gained the respect of ourselves, our colleagues, and our design judges.

Sara Zuckerman

Sara Zuckerman

Sara Zuckerman is a Content Marketing Specialist in Brand Offer Marketing for SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS.