MOMENTUM

sae.org/publications/magazines/momentum March 2020

THE MAGAZINE FOR STUDENT MEMBERS OF SAE INTERNATIONAL®

MAKING SENSE ON
SENSORS
AutoDrive Challenge team
from North Carolina A&T
State University gets the
most out of its few sensors

Keeping it simple
Polytechnique Montreal Formula
SAE team’s key to victory

Weight watching
Students at Ningxia
University carve weight
off their SAE Aero Design
East plane to win the 2019
competition.

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 MOMENTUM
THE MAGAZINE FOR STUDENT MEMBERS OF SAE INTERNATIONAL®

INTERESTED IN REACHING
CURRENT STUDENTS
(GENERATION Z)?
ADVERTISE IN SAE’S MOMENTUM
• SAE’s Momentum reaches over 40,000+ mobility engineering students worldwide
• Momentum is distributed to 59 countries, with top electronic distribution to Asia (including
India), North America, and Latin America
• Top colleges and universities receiving SAE’s Momentum include: Texas A&M, University of
Manitoba, University of Waterloo, Virginia Tech, Michigan Tech

SAE provides the opportunity for recruitment staff to tap into the engineering disciplines that
crossover the three industries of automotive, aerospace and commercial vehicle in addition to
showcasing your message to students.

Reach the passive seekers by advertising your recruiting message

Publication Name Full Page 1/2 Page
Momentum
– Student Magazine
– Print Circulation 10,800 avg. $3,500 $2,300
– Digital Circulation 41,000 avg.
– February, March, April, September, October, November

TO LEARN MORE, DEVELOP A CUSTOM

OPPORTUNITY, OR EXPAND YOUR REACH TODAY,
CONTACT SAE’S MEMBERSHIP TEAM AT:
400 Commonwealth Drive
Warrendale, PA 15096
+1.724.776.4970 or [email protected]
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2003_cover2.indd 1 2/17/20 10:56 AM

 CONTENTS MARCH 2020 • Volume 11 • Issue 2

10 14 16
EDITORIAL 12 BRIEFS
2 Building a career in mobility
TODAY’S ENGINEERING
3 BENEFITS U 14 GM’s Cruise self-driving vehicle built for
upgradable hardware
STUDENT GENERATION 15 New seal improves performance
FEATURE
4 Making sense on sensors SAE NEWS
North Carolina A&T State University AutoDrive Challenge team
gets the most out of its few sensors. 16 SAE 101: personal and financial well-being,
SAE style
FEATURE
7 Victory at last 17 SAE Collegiate Design Series sponsorship
The first Formula SAE win of Polytechnique Montreal: why
keeping it simple and being prepared was the key.
CAREER PATH
FEATURE
10 Keeping it light 18 Dossier: Noah Lukins of May Mobility
Gram by gram, students at Ningxia University carve weight off 20 Occupational benefits of competing in
their SAE Aero Design East plane to win the 2019 competition.
technical collegiate competitions

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 EDITORIAL
BUILDING A CAREER IN MOBILITY SAE MEMBERSHIP STAFF
Patrick Ponticel
SAE INTERNATIONAL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The world of mobility engineering is undergoing Editor, Member Magazines Todd Zarfos
a major revolution. We haven’t seen such a Corey Dillon 2020 President
cultural shift in our approach to mobility for Member Relations Specialist Paul Mascarenas, OBE
Donna Edenhart 2019 President
more than a century. Back then, people left their
Director, Membership & Sections Jeff Hemphill
horses in the stables for brand-new automobiles, 2021 President
Abby Hartman
and airplanes were just taking flight. Today, Local Activities Specialist Pascal Joly
technological advancement, like it did back in Vice President – Aerospace
Amanda Hildabrand
Ken Washington, PhD
the early 20th century, is driving innovation— Membership Manager
Vice President – Automotive
from self-driving cars to electric vehicles to Nicole Iorfido Michael Weinert
alternative fuel sources to drone flight. Developer, Volunteer Engagement Vice President – Commercial Vehicle
With technological advancement comes Ashley Ward Andrew Jeffers
Volunteer Engagement Associate Treasurer
complexity—but also opportunity. Your journey Dr. Raman Venkatesh, David L. Schutt, PhD
into the world of professional engineering is COO, SAE International Chief Executive Officer
markedly different from my days as a research DESIGN Gregory L. Bradley, Esq
Ryan Pristow Secretary
engineer in the late 1990s.
Creative Manager Landon Sproull
Now, when I talk with our customers and partners, the breadth and Brian Fell Jeff Varick
depth of career opportunities available stands out. I’m amazed at the Senior Graphic Designer
Rhonda Walthall
collaborative relationship between software and hardware—mechanical Corey Bellis
engineers work alongside software engineers to create tomorrow’s Graphic Designer
William L. Schall
realities, and chemical engineers partner with design specialists to decide Senior Production Artist
on the best materials to drive performance and improve emissions. Lucy Matyjaszczyk
This was especially evident at CES 2020. Automated and shared Freelance Production Artist
vehicles were in abundance, with automobile and consumer-product
companies alike showing their offerings. Urban air mobility solutions
from both traditional players and technology companies also were
displayed. There is potential and an appetite for cross-industry
collaboration across emerging technologies like artificial intelligence,
5G communications, advanced materials, and additive manufacturing.
What an exciting time to be an engineer!
At SAE International, we have constantly adapted our focus to remain SAE International Sections
ahead of the changing world of mobility. We’ve long recognized that SAE International sections are local units comprised of 100 or more SAE International members
in a defined technical or geographic area. The purpose of local sections is to meet the technical,
students, the future of mobility, are where tomorrow’s ideas are being developmental, and personal needs of the SAE members in a given area. For more information,
fostered. This is why our ever-expanding Collegiate Design Series (CDS) please visit sae.org/sections.
competitions enable you to design, build, and test the performance of
a real vehicle—be it an autonomous car or a flying prototype—and then SAE International Collegiate Chapters
Collegiate Chapters are a way for SAE International student members to get together on their
compete with your global peers in exciting and intense competitions. campus and develop skills in a student-run and -elected environment. Student Members are vital
The CDS competitions are developed around the technologies that will to the continued success and future of SAE. While your course work teaches you the engineering
knowledge you need, participation in your SAE collegiate chapter can develop or enhance other
help you start your careers in mobility. No matter the field of interest, important skills, including leadership, time management, project management, communications,
CDS is a proven path for jump-starting a career. In fact, in our AutoDrive organization, planning, delegation, budgeting, and finance. For more information, or for how to
find your local chapter, please visit students.sae.org/chapters/collegiate/.
Challenge alone, General Motors hired 27 participating students.
As we enter a new decade, the world of mobility will continue to SAE INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
evolve and present opportunities and challenges. Together, we will 400 Commonwealth Drive +1.877.606.7323
meet those challenges and create opportunities to learn, grow, and Warrendale, PA 15096 +1.724.776.4970 (Outside U.S. & Canada)
+1.724.772.8577; +1.724.776.3393 (FAX) Fax: +1.724.776.0790
flourish in whatever career path you choose to have in the exciting [email protected] [email protected]
world of mobility.
MOMENTUM The Magazine for Student Members of SAE International®, March 2020,
Volume 11, Number 2. MOMENTUM (ISSN 2152-4106) is published six times a year, in Feb,
Mar, Apr, Sept, Oct, and Nov by SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Dr., Warrendale,

GET INVOLVED
PA 15096-0001. Copyright © 2020 SAE International. Annual print subscription for SAE
International student members in North America: first subscription $10 included in dues;
additional single copies $15. Prices for nonmember subscriptions are $30 North America,
$50 overseas. Postmaster: Send address changes to Momentum, 400 Commonwealth
• Become a MOMENTUM contributor by submitting an article. Add that Dr., Warrendale, PA 15096-0001. SAE International is not responsible for the accuracy of
achievement to your resume. Send an email to [email protected] information in the editorial, articles, and advertising sections of this publication. Readers
expressing your interest in contributing. should independently evaluate the accuracy of any statement in the editorial, articles,
and advertising sections of this publication that are important to him/her and rely on
his/her independent evaluation. For permission to reproduce or use content in other
• Spread the word about this magazine to other engineering students media, contact [email protected]. To purchase reprints, contact [email protected].
and faculty, and encourage them to join SAE today by visiting Claims for missing issues of the magazine must be submitted within a six-month time
sae.org/membership. frame of the claimed issue’s publication date. MOMENTUM The Magazine for Student
Members of SAE International is a registered trademark of SAE International.

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 BENEFITS U
UPDATED CHAPTER TOOLKIT COMING INDUSTRIAL LECTURE PROGRAM: INVITE AN
SOON INDUSTRY EXPERT TO YOUR SAE COLLEGIATE
Collegiate Chapters are designed to get SAE student CHAPTER
members to get together on their campus and develop
This program allows you to invite an industry expert to speak to your
skills in a student-run and elected environment. Student
Collegiate Chapter, for free. SAE has a collection of speakers available
members are vital to the continued success and future
to speak on a wide array of topics, and we are always bringing on more
of SAE, and Collegiate Chapters on campus are a great
speakers (so stay tuned into Member Connection for announcements).
way to develop valuable skills. All chapter officers have
One of our speakers, Dr. Mohamed Zaher, talks about several different
access to the toolkit (forums.sae.org/sites/CHAPTER/
topics, such as cybersecurity, and why it is important to get different
SitePages/About.aspx), which will help them run a
engineers in sync for product development lifecycles. Or, invite Larry Rinek
successful chapter. We want you to run a successful
to discuss preventable defects in aircraft design and materials. Learn more
chapter year after year, regardless of what officers
and see all of our speakers at sae.org/industrial-lecture-program.
graduate. Therefore, we wanted to create a succession
Please note this benefit is available to current SAE Collegiate Chapters.
plan that would help you remain constant. Look for it in
If you have a Collegiate Design Series Team (Formula, Baja, Aero Design,
the toolkit, because it is coming soon!
etc.), this does not guarantee that you have a chapter. Not sure if you
have a chapter? Don’t have one formed yet? Reach out to Abby Hartman,
[email protected].

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP CHAT

Join us for our next SAE
Subject Matter Expert WCX 2020 – ATTEND FOR FREE AND ATTEND AN
(SME) Technical Discussion
March 19-20 in Member INDUSTRIAL LECTURE
Connection (connection. WCX 2020 is next month, April 21-23 in
sae.org). We will be Detroit, Mich., and as an SAE Student
discussing “women in Member, you can register for free (regular
leadership roles within registration for professionals is $2,095).
the mobility industry.” There are over 800 hours of technical
Our hosts will include, program sessions to choose from, as well as
among others, authors Elizabeth Champion will be attend keynote presentations, networking
and contributors from the among those discussing the opportunities, and ride-and-drive demos.
SAE-published book, The topic of “women in leadership Plus, stop by the Member Lounge and meet
Road to the Top is Not on roles within the mobility the Membership Team—ask us any questions
the Map: Conversations industry.” about your benefits, grab a complimentary Industrial Lecturer Maura
with Top Women of the cup of coffee, or just say hi. Also, be sure Chmielowiec will speak at WCX.
Automotive Industry. This book, and the chat, will talk to look out for push notifications from
about habits, motivations, triumphs, defeats, and lessons the Membership Team through the WCX app. We are also hosting SAE
learned of some of the top women leaders. Connect with Member and new Industrial Lecturer Maura Chmielowiec to talk about her
our experts and bring your questions and comments SAE journey and how membership has ultimately helped her career with
to Member Connection. Also in Member Connection, GM. She’ll be available to answer questions after the presentation.
a Virtual Mentor Mixer on the topic of “Women in The Membership Team will be onsite at the SAE Aero Design East
Engineering” has been scheduled for May 7-8. competition March 6- 8 in Lakeland, Fla. Be sure to come find us and ask
us any questions you might have about your membership, or tell us your
ideas for new benefits and activities. Student Membership, after all, is for
you, to provide you with tools to become the best engineer you can be.

SAVE ON TRAVEL AND CAR RENTALS

We know this is a busy time of year – Collegiate Design
Series competitions, SAE’s flagship events, and spring
break. SAE has partnered with several car rental TAKE A BREAK AND BE ENTERTAINED
companies (Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty Car Rental) to SAE International has many benefits to help you navigate your
save you money on your next road trip. We also have educational and professional careers, but we also offer other benefits
many opportunities to save on hotels through our to help you in your personal life. One important thing to remember is to
Travel Savings Center. You need to get places, and you occasionally take a break and enjoy life. That’s why we have partnered
shouldn’t pay more than you have to. Go to sae.org/ with MemberDeals, which offer deals on everything from travel, to movie
membership/benefits to get SAE Members-only codes tickets, to concerts, and more. Take a quick break from school and find
and links for your savings. something fun, at sae.org/membership.

MOMENTUM March 2020 3

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 STUDENT
GENERATION
FEATURE

The North Carolina A&T State University AutoDrive

Challenge car approaches a dummy at the AutoDrive
Challenge’s Year 2 venue, Mcity in Ann Arbor, Mich.

MAKING SENSE ON SENSORS

while getting maximum performance. In Year 2 of the
AutoDrive Challenge, the team opted for a wider range
North Carolina A&T State University of sensors to combat the higher complexity of the
AutoDrive Challenge team gets the second year’s challenges, which included identifying and
responding to traffic signals, traffic signs, lane keeping,
most out of its few sensors. lane changing, obstacle avoidance and passing through
a tunnel. To successfully pass the challenges, our Aggie
Autonomous Auto (A3) team selected the proper
THE NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY AutoDrive Challenge sensors, determined the best sensor mounting positions,
team bounced back from a sixth-place finish in the first year of the designed sensor mounting structures, identified the
three-year competition to finish first nationally and second overall in the required software modules, and took optimal safety
second year, 2019. Who knows where they might finish in the third and strategies, resulting in a successful performance and
final year, 2020. placing the A3 team in second overall rank. 
Few can answer that question with more knowledge than Sai Charan The judges were also impressed by the presentation
Dekkata, Tesfamichael Getahun, and Karreem Hogan, the student leads, of the vehicle, the wrap on the car, and the blue
and Dr. Karimoddini, the lead faculty advisor for the team that goes by autonomous light around the vehicle, which made it the
the name “Aggie Autonomous Auto.” best-looking car out of the eight cars in the competition. 
MOMENTUM caught up with them recently via email to recall the The judges for the SAE International AutoDrive
team’s 2019 successes and provide some insight about what the team is Challenge were also impressed by the creative ideas our
focusing on for this year’s competition. team put together to reduce the overall vehicle price
and increase the performance. Some of them include:
What did the judges seem to be most impressed by during the team’s • Using the sensors that are already available in the car
presentation at Mcity? such as the encoder reduced the extra parts, reduced
The judges for the AutoDrive Challenge were impressed by the the overall cost, and provided better usage of the server.
team’s effective sensor selection and placement strategy, where the • A robust image processing algorithm for lane detection
team selected a minimum number of sensors (lowest possible cost), and tracking was developed and implemented, which

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 STUDENT
GENERATION

can detect lane boundaries in different light conditions

even when the markings are in bad condition.
• A programmable switch was designed to implement the
car state machine and control its mode of operation
to easily shift modes between autonomous, semi-
autonomous, and manual.
While building our control system and adding
components to the vehicle, we have been very mindful
about the overall aesthetics by keeping wiring as hidden
as possible as well as ensuring to not have any additional
components interfere with sponsor logos.

What was the main lesson learned from 2018, and

how much did that lesson pay off in the team’s
2019 performance?
The first two years of competition provided many Students from the A3 team at North Carolina A&T State University mount sensors
challenges. The main lessons were how much grit and on their car’s roof rack at the AutoDrive Challenge Year 2 competition.
resilience we have and learning new ways to trust in
the knowledge and talents of our team. We made stage, during the operation stage, and the experimental stage. Our
major strides in our progress compared to last year’s ultimate aim is that our design will be able to either eliminate or
competition. It was through hard work and uniting as a reduce the risks involved with potential hazards associated with the
team with very diverse skill-sets and experience levels autonomous vehicle to an acceptable level. 
that we were able to submit a second-place win in the Sensor Integration: All of the sensors and the switch are powered using
second year of competition. More specifically, inspired by 12VDC and are connected to the Crystal Rugged Server where the input
the team’s performance in the first year of competition, data will enter the system. ROS (Robotic Operating System) is the
the feedback from our team mentor and faculty advisors, middleware that the team opted for due to its incredible support and its
as well as the comments from the judges, we developed wide compatibility with the sensors. We used ROS to drive the sensors,
new ideas ahead of the second year of competition to launch packages containing the sensor fusion algorithms, and visualize
improve the capabilities of the A3 car.  the data in RVIZ. 
Some of the improvements include: Computing Platform: Considering the enormous amount of complex
Mounting of the sensors: Better placement and rigid computations and sensor integration needed for the year two
mounts of the lidar, Camera, GPS/IMU, and radar helped challenge, the choice of computing platform is highly dependent
us increase the field of view and rigidity, and provided on its computational power and ability to withstand very harsh
better functionality, even in adverse weather conditions.  environmental conditions. Based on these assumptions, we used the
Safety Strategy: Improved our safety strategy, which liquid-cooled Crystal Rugged Server, RS363S15F (X10), a military-grade
generally follows the ISO 26262 standards and covers computing system that is resilient to harsh conditions and tolerant
three major steps, during the development and design to abrupt movements and vibrations. It features a Dual LGA2011 R3

Group photo of the A3 team at Mcity.

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 STUDENT
GENERATION

North Carolina A&T State University College of

Engineering is undoubtedly a leader in autonomous
control and automotive Research. Establishing a strong
Autonomous Vehicle research program at the university
and in the state of North Carolina by participating in the
AutoDrive Challenge is the natural progression.
Our efforts strategically align with North Carolina A&T
State University’s goal to position the university to be a
national, premier research-intensive, doctoral, science,
and technology-focused learning institution. The product
of our team’s participation lays a very strong foundation
for continued and more intensive research, as well as
opportunities for more collaborations to ensure that the
university is a major contributor to the advancement and
education of Autonomous Vehicles and Autonomous
Team members present their Concept Design for an autonomous car with SAE level 4 Vehicle Research. To aid in our success, the university
autonomy. has assisted with establishing partnerships that provide
funding through various sponsorships and real-world
projects that apply autonomous and connected vehicle
Xeon processor with a total of 44 cores and 128Gb memory. The server technology to solve problems with shorter time scales.
features gigabit ethernet as well as USB 3.0 ports for high-speed North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State
sensor integration, an expansion bay with support for PCI interfaces University has supported us since the start of the
that will host the CAN bus card to interface the car, a DB9 card for competition. Our team has been provided with a
powering the external liquid cooling system, and a PCIe interface dedicated test-track at NCA&T’s north campus research
that hosts a high-end FPGA (Intel Arria 10 GX) to provide hardware park. Further, through collaborations with City of
acceleration for deep learning algorithms. Greensboro’s DoT and different divisions in NCA&T
  such as Police Department and University Facility, the
How does the team’s participation in the AutoDrive Challenge tie into A3 team has been provided access to an intersection in
the university’s autonomous vehicle research program? the campus area. This requires road closure when the
The team’s participation in the AutoDrive Challenge competition has team decides to test the car. The University’s Facility and
helped a lot in the university’s autonomous research in the realm of Police Departments helped us by guarding the testing
unmanned ground robots, autonomous drones, and autonomous area and making sure there were no pedestrians or
vehicles. After successful performance of the A3 team in the Autodrive other vehicles present at the testing time. The university
Challenge, many university students learned a lot about our team’s Chancellor and the College of Engineering Dean helped
research and showed interest in joining this effort. Downtown us in every way possible with the needed resources.
Greensboro also supported us with the crowd outreach program, which
educates people about the benefits of autonomous vehicles. Also, the How is the team preparing for June’s 2020 AutoDrive
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) started funding Challenge competition?
students to work on autonomous vehicle research. For Year 3, we are focused on improving the hardware
and software designs, integration of the hardware
and software systems, and the safety strategies to be
AutoDrive Challenge—what it’s all about employed in the system. We believe that designing a
The automotive industry is undergoing a dramatic change in how cars and reliable autonomous car is a lengthy and complex route
trucks are driven. AutoDrive Challenge, developed by SAE International in that is worth every effort to achieve the necessary goals
partnership with General Motors, responds to that change by cultivating in of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion.
college students the required capabilities to make the transition to
We are continuing to discover ways to unlock better
autonomous driving a safe and efficient one. The three-year competition
performance for lower cost while researching strategic
comes to an end in 2020. The University of Toronto won Year 1 and Year 2. The
eight teams from the U.S. and Canada are still retrofitting the GM-donated placement and positioning of the sensors. Further, we
Chevrolet Bolts in advance of the June 8-14 competition to be held at the are planning to better follow the industrial standards
Transportation Research Center’s SMART Center in East Liberty, Ohio. in different components, such as the wiring harness
Year 3 will focus on urban environment driving scenarios that have teams of sensors within the computing platform and the
optimizing perception and sensing algorithms to navigate a fictitious rider mechanical systems for mounting sensors. In prepration
sharing scenario. This will include a longer continuous autonomous drive than for Year 3 of the Challenge, we are focusing on the
the past two years in which teams will encounter both static and dynamic software end, which includes the design of the software
objects, traffic control lights and signs, as well as various lane line scenarios. architecture system and the integration of each functional
module such as the perception, localization, planning, and
control of the vehicle.

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 STUDENT
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VICTORY AT LAST
FEATURE

The FPM19 of Formule Polytechnique Montreal

on the last corner of the Endurance track at
FSAE Lincoln, with Renaud Pepin at the wheel.

The first Formula SAE win of Polytechnique Montreal: why keeping it

simple and being prepared was the key.

THE POLYTECHNIQUE MONTREAL team’s win in the team had always done well in Lincoln, where one of the other 2019
Lincoln, Neb., last year was the university’s first victory Formula SAE competitions has been held. In 2016, the team placed 9th
in a Formula SAE competition in more than 35 years of overall, which was an incredible achievement at the time. In 2018, we
competing. I was one of the two team captains in 2018- were on the podium for the very first time with a 3rd place overall, and
2019. If you had told us two years ago that we would also reached Design Finals for the first time. The expectations were high
have a winning car in 2019, my guess is not many would for 2019, and we were not disappointed.
have believed you. Yet keeping the design simple (but Our strength in 2019 came from many aspects. First, adding
efficient and highly validated) and focusing on getting aerodynamics and perfecting an already well-thought-out concept
everything ready (both the car and the team) got us paid off on the lap times. Then, preparation and knowledge of our
right on the top step. vehicle gave us a great edge in all events. Finally, the benefits of having
The team at Poly was quite small, with at most around a concept that evolved over many years was undoubted in terms of
15 people involved. Winning the competition in Lincoln reliability and ability to extensively test the car before competition.
was extremely meaningful for us. It was awesome to see
everyone’s hard work and dedication pay off. This year
was extremely satisfying, as it seemed to me that the AERODYNAMICS, FOR THE BEST AND THE WORST
car we built in 2019 was the car we were dreaming of in This year was our first year running an aerodynamics package, and the
2018. We found the right way to do the job we wanted to performance gap compared to last year was quite big in testing. The
get done the year before. previous car was already a very well performing machine, and we made
The set goal for 2019 was to reach the top 10 at sure everything was sorted and that we did not skip steps before adding
Formula SAE Michigan. When we managed to get 7th aero to it. We knew the potential that a good aero package had, and we
place overall, and to be so close to the top teams in the really pushed all year long in order to make sure it would be on the car—
Autocross and Endurance Events, it felt like the year was and stay on the car. The learning curve was quite steep: for many years,
already a success story for us. In the few previous years, the team did not have extensive knowledge of composite materials.

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 STUDENT
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The FPM19 in the wind tunnel of the University of Ontario during the UOIT Shootout.

with new designs. Based on these first concepts and prototypes, further
CFD work was accomplished in the design phase of the 2019 vehicle in
order to refine the shape of the wings and produce an aero map. The main
objective in CFD was then to maximize downforce, with little emphasis put
on drag at first.
The design targets were simultaneously refined to make sure the
aero package would be effective. As a matter of fact, with the low
speeds of a typical Formula SAE circuit, the gain of downforce can
easily be eaten out by the performance loss that comes with added
drag and mass. This is where laptime simulation comes into play. We
used a simulation tool, developed and validated by a senior team
member over two years using Matlab and Simulink, to fix design
targets and test concepts. This tool allowed us to run a laptime
sensitivity analysis depending on mass, drag coefficient, and lift
coefficient. A map of these parameters then gave us the brackets in
A team member of FPM meticulously prepares a mold for the new
which we had to work for the aero pack to be effective and result
aerodynamics package of the 2019 challenger.
in points gain at competitions. We then decided the 2019 vehicle’s
aero pack would consist of only a rear and front wing, respecting our
The development of the aero package began back in philosophy of doing less while keeping higher quality standards.
autumn 2017, when we started the CFD work and drafting Our main design objective for all systems on the car being reliability,
concepts of the internal structure and the possible the final design for the wing mountings and internal structure had to
attachments to the chassis. Two prototypes were built: be bulletproof (or at least “cone-proof”). Proof of concept of this final
one fitted on the 2017 car and then one on the 2018 car. An design was produced as early as January 2019 to test both the processes
important part of our design process resides in validation and the product. With the rigidity and quality of the system deemed
of our concepts by physical testing on the cars—and not acceptable, we then went forward, with great focus on the surface finish
only before competition. During the entire design process, and assembly fit, which impressed the judges in the Design Event at
as much as we can we upgrade the previous year’s car both Michigan and Lincoln.

PREPARATION, BALANCE, AND SIMPLICITY

A huge part of the success we had in the events in Lincoln resides in
preparation. We got there with a car that we had tested for more than
a half thousand kilometers. Pretty much everything was sorted out, and
there were no big surprises. The setups were ready, the drivers were
ready, and the whole team was trained for competition.
The Design Event was also a big hit for us. It is a great honor to
reach Design Finals, but we never thought winning the event was
possible with a car as simple as ours. Yet, the best positive feedback
we had was not really about a particular system, but instead about
how all the systems were designed with the same goals in mind
and with simplicity, without anything being left behind. The level of
understanding of vehicle dynamics by the team and the extensive
A full-car CFD model of the FPM19 was made in Siemens Star CCM+. use of simulation tools were also key points of our high Design score.

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 STUDENT
GENERATION

The whole Formule

Polytechnique
Montreal team with
the FPM19 after
winning the 2019
Formula SAE Lincoln
competition. Team
captain Renaud
Pepin is fifth from
the left.

Additional validation, such as 3D-scanning the chassis

to have some metrics on our new fabrication technique
and be able to improve it for next year, also impressed
the judges. Finally, I think they had a good impression
of us as a team whose members know how to work
together and make the best out of their knowledge
and know-how.
Our success this season really was built over many
years. We were always quite conservative with the
changes we do on the car every year to make sure we
get every bit right. Therefore, we must give credits to all
the members who worked on the project for the past 5
years! They built the foundations for the knowledge, the
standards, the principles, and some designs that we still
use today. They have as big of a part in our success as
the actual team members do.
I think a long-term vision is very important in Formula Team members doing final adjustments to the FPM19 before the Autocross Event at
FSAE Lincoln.
SAE. We have had some criticism in the past about the
changes made on the car being too conservative—not
taking big enough leaps. Now, I am pretty convinced Carleton University, Ontario Tech University, and the University of Texas -
taking baby steps, but making sure they all pay off, is a Arlington, just to mention a few—were awesome too!
good way to go, especially for smaller teams or ones that In the end, winning is a great acknowledgement for the sacrifices
are not excessively well funded. made throughout the year by everyone, but the real thrill really comes
from the passion we share together with everyone that gets involved in
Formula SAE. I am so grateful to have been able to work for such a great
ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE team and to have reached our goals. Now, it’s all eyes on 2020, and even
We have the incredible chance to have such an awesome 2021, as we are preparing the ground for some new challenges to come…
community in Formula SAE. In Montreal, and even in See you all on the track!
Canada, this community really is stronger than ever.
The great camaraderie between the teams in Montreal
is amazing. Having the chance to test and share some Renaud Pepin, a senior who expects to graduate in 2020 from
experience and thoughts with top teams like ETS and Polytechnique Montreal with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical
engineering, wrote this article for MOMENTUM. He served as team captain
McGill, who also won competitions this year, is very for the Poly Montreal Formula SAE team for the last two years and is
motivating. The relationships we have had with so many serving as technical lead this year.
other teams’ members--Cegep du Vieux Montréal,

MOMENTUM March 2020 9

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 STUDENT
GENERATION

PART OF THE SAE COLLEGIATE DESIGN SERIES, SAE Aero Design

FEATURE

challenges college students to apply theory to practice in the process

of designing, making, testing, and optimizing a model aircraft meeting
specific mission objectives. At the same time, it can also help them
to improve interpersonal communication skills and written skills by
submitting a design report and making an oral presentation.

KEEPING IT
SAE Aero Design consists of two separate competitions, with some
teams participating in both. SAE Aero Design East for 2019 was held in
Fort Worth, Texas from March 8 to 10, SAE Aero Design West a month

LIGHT
later in Van Nuys, Calif.
There are three classes in each individual competition area: Micro
Class, Regular Class, and Advanced Class. Ningxia University’s
Aeromodelling Team participated in the SAE Aero Design East Micro
Class along with 84 other teams from nine countries.
Located in the Midwest of China, Ningxia University is a
comprehensive university in scope except that it does not offer
an aviation major. Nevertheless, Aeromodelling has accumulated
rich experience in aircraft design, production, and performance by
participating in the China Aeromodelling Design Challenge (CADC) for
many years. CADC is a university aviation design brand competition
focused on China. The team participated in the British BMFA 2017 as
well as SAE Aero Design West 2018 in the Micro and Regular Classes. So
it has a good understanding of SAE’s technical requirements.
Aeromodelling had been preparing for SAE Aero Design East 2019
since May 2018. The team consists of Jin Zhang, Wanying Lv, Mingyuan
Liu, Yan Yao, Jiale Yao, Lei Xu, Wei Luo, Yongjing Zhuo, Xiaobin Wang,
Chen Huang, Pengfei Ren, Yue Ma, and Bo Ma. The instructors are
Hongbo Zhang and Yinhu Kuang. During preparations, Yongxin Li, Funan
Wang, and other coaches from Beijing University of Aeronautics and
Astronautics provided technical support.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
A week after the end of the SAE West 2018, Aeromodelling officially
The Aeromodelling plane launched preparation for the 2019 event. The team set a goal of 120% of
in flight at SAE Aero Design the highest mark in 2018 to win the championship. The competition rules
East 2019. change significantly every three years, so we boldly inferred the rules
would not be changed greatly for the 2019 competition. Therefore, we
modified the 2018 model to align with the minor changes of 2019 rather
than design a new airplane from scratch.
At the same time, we started flight training and preparation of the
Design Report (Design Report is one of three primary scoring categories,
the others being Mission Performance and Technical Presentation).
When the rules were officially released in September, they were exactly
what we’d expected. In October, we were informed that we qualified to
participate in SAE Aero Design East 2019.
The Micro Class challenge is to design a portable micro UAV style
aircraft that can be deployed rapidly from a small container (max outside
dimensions: 12.125 X 3.625 X 13.875 inches). For take-off, the plane must
be thrown by hand from a designated area, and in flight it must carry
Gram by gram, students at a bulky, low-density payload: American-standard 2-inch-diameter PVC
Ningxia University carve pipe. All of the plane’s parts and payload must fit into the container.
weight off their SAE Aero Because the empty weight of the model should be as small as possible
and the payload should be as heavy as possible, “Making great efforts to
Design East plane to win the decrease each gram of weight” became the motto of our design team.
2019 competition. When it came to reducing the empty weight, the selection of
materials was essential. Thus, we adopted the method of software
analysis together with experimental testing. According to the results

10 March 2020 MOMENTUM

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 STUDENT
GENERATION

Ningxia University Aeromodelling Team being honored at the SAE Aero Design East Team members await their turn to put the Aeromodelling plane in
2019 awards ceremony for first place in Mission Performance and first place Overall. the air.

of calculation and analysis, we used carbon-fiber, light wood, PMI, second during take-off. Despite that, we occupied the
heat shrink skin, and other materials, among which the carbon fiber top of the scoreboard after Round #1 and were off to a
accounted for as much as 72%. Especially in the fuselage structure, good start.
the sandwich structure of carbon fiber-PMI-carbon fiber was adopted, In the second round, the model encountered a sudden
which successfully reduced the empty weight and resistance of the crosswind during landing, causing the aircraft to blow
aircraft and increased the wingspan of the aircraft. over and the carbon fiber tube in the front fuselage to
In order to make better use of the limited packing space and break. Using their wits, team members sawed off the
reduce the model flying resistance, the airfoil was also improved. front fuselage of the spare machine with their fastest
When evaluating the first generation of the aircraft, comprehensively speed and binded it, using kevlar and epoxy resin, to the
observations are made via GPS, anemometer, power meter, and racing machine.
other equipment. By the time the judges approved the restored model,
One aspect of the competition requires teams to quickly assemble the fourth flight round had already started. The whole
and disassemble the airplane. To this end, we adopted various quick- team was excited to put our plane into the air again. That
assembly and quick-disassembly techniques. For example, we used fourth flighted round ended being the last of the day, and
carbon-fiber as a bolt to maintain the connection strength between we found ourselves at the top of the standings. But the
the wing’s outer and middle segments. And we added a magnet as a Georgia Tech team did well. That meant that the second
secondary bolt, which prevented torsion between the wing segments. day of flying would be decisive.
In the Technical Presentation event, the judges gave high praise to the In the final day’s first flight round, the fifth overall,
design of the magnet connector and awarded us extra points. Georgia Tech loaded full weight while our team loaded
After several iterations, the final aircraft was a model with a wingspan 85%. In that round, the score gap was narrowed to just
of 4.6 feet and length of 3.28 feet. The layout was single wing, double 3 points. Before the final round, we found that we could
vertical tail, and single engine. The payload consisted of five PVC pipes. finish in second place even if our flight failed, so we
decided to go for it and added full load to the model.
TO THE U.S. WITH VICTORY IN MIND The move paid off, and we ended up finishing first in
Mission Performance. Because that event is weighted
On March 5, team members arrived at the competition venue after ten
more heavily than the others, our score in the Mission
hours of flying. On March 8, the first day of the three-day competition,
Performance event propelled us to first place overall for
we earned a score of 46 points (out of a possible 50) in the Technical
the competition.
Presentation and 15.49 in the Assembly Demonstration (second best
among all teams). It was a great encouragement for all of us.
On March 9, the teams’ airplanes took to the skies for the Mission This article was written for MOMENTUM by Hongbo
Performance part of the competition, which usually involves about a Zhang. She is faculty advisor for Ningxia University’s
Aeromodelling Team that competed at the SAE Aero
half dozen flight rounds. Our team successfully completed the first flight
Design competition in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2019.
with 60% of the maximum load under the circumstances of unstable
wind direction and unexpected positive crosswind of 6 meters per

MOMENTUM March 2020 11

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 BRIEFS
SPARTAN VILLAGE AS TESTING GROUND FLORIDA POLY BOOSTS AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE
Under a holistic RESEARCH
approach called CANVAS
Florida Polytechnic
(Connected and
University will soon
Autonomous Vehicles for
have a new simulation
Active Safety), Michigan
facility on campus
State University’s
dedicated to the testing
main campus, Spartan
and verification of
Village, is being
autonomous vehicle
transformed into a
technology in real-time.
testing ground for a new
The National Science
era in transportation.
Foundation awarded the
MSU engineers, urban
University a $350,000
planners, sociologists, Student research assistant James Holland works
Michigan State University’s grant that enables the
business professors, with assistant professor of electrical engineering Dr.
AutoDrive Challenge team/car development of a large- Arman Sargolzaei on autonomous vehicle technology
and legal experts are
constitutes one way in which the scale Hardware-in-the- research. Florida Polytechnic University will have
using the campus as
university is studying autonomous Loop (HiL) simulation a new simulation facility for real-time testing of
a giant laboratory in
vehicles as part of a larger focus on facility for connected this technology, thanks to a new National Science
which to study the mobility. The AutoDrive Challenge and autonomous Foundation grant.
future of mobility. The is a collegiate competition vehicles (CAVs). HiL
research follows two co-headline-sponsored by SAE simulation is a robust gateway for the development and testing of
paths. The academic International and General Motors. complex real-time embedded systems. The HiL simulation facility will
side is inventing, testing,
provide researchers from the Florida Poly’s Advanced mobility Institute
and deploying smart cars and the smart infrastructure
a more realistic approach to the testing and verification procedures
necessary to guide them safely and securely, as well
as they collaborate closely with students on practical and real-world
as considering the social implications of such a major
projects related to CAVs. 
change. On the campus operations level, experts are
collaborating to assess and address the day-to-day
mobility needs at MSU now and in the future.

VIRGINIA TECH STUDIES OVER-RELIANCE ON

TRACKING THE MYSTERY OF NATURE’S AUTONOMY
A recent study on SAE
TOUGHEST MATERIAL Level 2 autonomous
Nacre, the Image credit: Hovden Lab vehicles conducted
rainbow- by the Virginia Tech
sheened Transportation Institute
material that found that of the 71
lines the insides Artist’s renderings of the nanostructures of recorded safety-critical
Image credit: Mercedes-Benz
of mussel and nacre (left), prismatic calcite (center), and events (SCE’s) in the
other mollusk monolithic aragonite (right). The outside study, “no statistical According to recent studies addressing ADAS Level-2
shells, is known of fan mussel shells are made mainly of relationships were effectiveness, the systems may be living up to their
prismatic calcite, while nacre is made up observed between billing.
as nature’s
mainly of aragonite. SCE rates and feature
toughest
material. A team of researchers led by the University activation level.” This seems to indicate that drivers were not over-
of Michigan has revealed precisely how it works, in real reliant on the ADAS (advanced drive-assistance systems) capabilities.
time. More commonly known as mother-of-pearl, nacre’s Concern about over-reliance on such systems was the focus of the
combination of hardness and resilience has mystified report. None of the SCEs had the automated systems request the
scientists for more than 80 years. If humans could mimic driver to intervene (known as an RTI), which seems to indicate,
it, it could lead to a new generation of ultra-strong according to the study, that when a critical situation presented itself,
synthetic materials for structures, surgical implants, drivers were paying sufficient attention.
and countless other applications including vehicles of
all kinds. Among other things, researchers found that,
unlike plastics, for example, nacre loses none of its
resilience after repeated impacts. This property owes to
a special locking feature of the material’s microscope
“bricks” that occurs when stress is applied.

12 March 2020 MOMENTUM

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 JOIN THE
MENTORING PROGRAM
A NEW, EXCLUSIVE SAE MEMBER BENEFIT

Mentors – Be a Role Model

• Help shape the future of your industry
• Demonstrate your professional skills and capabilities
• Get personal satisfaction by making an impact on a young professional

Mentees – Learn From the Best

• Gain perspective on the workplace and expand your industry knowledge
• Refine interpersonal skills
• Increase your networking opportunities

GET INVOLVED TODAY!

Learn more by logging into the Member Connection at connection.sae.org

P17120655

2003_briefs_12-13.indd 13 2/17/20 10:51 AM

 TODAY’S
ENGINEERING

GM’S CRUISE SELF-DRIVING VEHICLE

BUILT FOR UPGRADABLE HARDWARE
IN 2016, GENERAL MOTORS acquired
Cruise Automation, thereby launching
its self-driving business. After four years
using modified Chevrolet Bolt hatchbacks
to test its autonomous systems, Cruise in
January unveiled its first purpose-built
self-driving vehicle for a proprietary ride-
hailing service. An all-electric, van-like
vehicle, the Origin is equipped with an
arsenal of sensors, but lacks a steering
wheel and traditional pedals.
Removing a driver’s seat and
conventional dashboard allowed Cruise
to provide a vast cabin space for six
passengers, with two 3-seat rows facing
one another. “Every seat is like an Photo credit: Cruise

extra-legroom seat on an airplane,” said The Origin’s interior space is deceiving from the outside. “The optics make it look bigger,” said Carl
Kyle Vogt, Cruise’s President and Chief Jenkins, Vice President of Hardware at Cruise. “The wheelbase is about the same as a Honda CR-V.”
Technology Officer. He said that the
Origin provides three times more area
to get in and out than a similarly sized that’s happening in the United States The algorithm for determining which
conventional vehicle. and around the world,” said Ammann. direction the unit should aim uses
The interior space is deceiving from To make that happen in the U.S., the redundant sensing, as well as the vehicle’s
the outside. “The optics make it look Origin will need to pass Federal Motor software-determined pathway. “We’re not
bigger,” said Carl Jenkins, Vice President Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that just relying on cameras. Every time and
of Hardware at Cruise. “The wheelbase don’t currently allow vehicles without in every situation, there are at least two
is about the same as a Honda CR-V.” steering wheels. Ammann said that Cruise different sensor types double-checking
At the launch event in San Francisco, is working closely with NHTSA, which the path for near-field, mid-range and
Cruise executives outlined the technical recently published the 4.0 version of its long-range,” Jenkins said.
details and strategy for how the Origin draft AV framework for public comment. Jenkins explained that the high
will be deployed in a mass-scale global “We had to develop this vehicle with position of the swiveling unit was
fleet of shared, on-demand, autonomous some degree of risk,” said Jenkins, selected to provide the best view and to
vehicles (AVs) that will compete with referring to the lack of an adopted prevent common damage at the bumper
Uber and Lyft. regulatory framework, even for essential level. “In our fleet of cars, the fascias are
They emphasized modularity, functions like the kind of messages and getting hit every day by common things,”
upgradable technology and leveraging warnings that need to be provided to said Jenkins. Cruise’s fleet of modified
GM’s electric powertrain and assembly passengers and other motorists. That Bolts has accumulated nearly a million
plants. Each vehicle will have a required Cruise to make “judgement miles of autonomous driving in San
remarkable projected lifespan of about calls,” according to Jenkins. Francisco in the past year alone.
1 million miles, with equipment and The Origin is equipped with lidar, The Origin also uses a perimeter of
software receiving updates over those radar and red-green-blue (RGB) and ultra-short-range radar, with a range of
miles. “This is a fully engineered vehicle infrared cameras. While Jenkins did not about 5 to 10 meters. Those radars are
that’s on its way to production,” said provide specifications about the sensor mounted lower on the vehicle to detect
Dan Ammann, Cruise’s chief executive suite, Cruise executives highlighted the street- and curb-level objects. There
officer. Ammann noted that relying on packaging of those sensors in a unit are additional sensors for functions
the Origin for daily transportation would that quickly pivots horizontally to focus like listening for sirens and detecting if
save consumers $5,000 a year compared on specific roadway elements. Vogt the vehicle has been bumped. Jenkins
to traditional vehicle ownership or using compared the articulating unit, mounted would not confirm details such as the
today’s ride-hailing services. at the four corners of the roof, to the differences between the pivoting sensor
The business plan is audacious. “Our ability of an owl to crane its neck to see suite in the front and back of the Origin.
goal is to replace a lot of the travel small objects in a field from high in the sky. By Bradley Berman, Automotive Engineering

14 March 2020 MOMENTUM

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 TODAY’S
ENGINEERING

NEW SEAL IMPROVES PERFORMANCE

MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY under extreme replace since the critical running surface Photo credit:
John Deere
operating conditions is critical for and delicate oil lip is internal,” said
off-highway machinery. Downtime Brett Randall, Account Manager for
and malfunctions lead to reductions Freudenberg NOK-Sealing Solutions.
in profitability. Freudenberg Sealing With a traditional single element seal,
Technologies developed the Cassette-S4 which runs directly on the shaft, the Freudenberg
off-highway industrial seal to meet the responsibility has always been shared engineers developed
demands of mobile machinery markets between the seal supplier and the shaft the more robust
Cassette-S4 off-
by enabling long-term reliability and supplier. Since the finished shaft surface
highway industrial
power in harsh conditions with no speed, and the oil lip are inside the seal and self- seal to handle harsh
temperature, or pressure limitations. contained, the whole sealing system is environments but
The Cassette-S4 features a three- provided by the sealing supplier. When still allow for large
component sealing configuration that a cassette seal eventually needs to be equipment to reach
protects all functional parts in a single replaced, the customer doesn’t have to the speeds required
component, reducing part complexity and consider resurfacing the shaft. by end users.
accidental damage during installation. Freudenberg engineers developed
Robust to contamination and damage due the more robust seal to handle harsh S2, and S3 for wheel hub and axle shaft
to handling, the Cassette-S4 radial shaft environments but still allow for large sealing applications have been offered
seal is made up of multiple components. equipment to reach the speeds required for decades.
“They’re easier to install and to by end users. The company’s Cassette-S1, By Jennifer Shuttleworth, Truck & Off-Highway
Engineering

sae.org/brake

38TH ANNUAL
BRAKE COLLOQUIUM
& EXHIBITION
OCTOBER 11-14, 2020 | SAN ANTONIO, TX

Calling all students!

Take part in our first ever Student Poster Competition.
By participating, not only could you win a cash prize and a free
registration to the Brake event – you will also have the opportunity
to showcase your knowledge to industry professionals.
Even more valuable… private networking opportunities
with brake experts from around the world.

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT FOR CONSIDERATION TODAY!

P19448182

Deadline for submissions: March 15th

P19448182_BRAKE_march_student_cfp_momentum_ad_f.indd 1 1/24/20 8:48 AM

MOMENTUM March 2020 15

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 SAE
NEWS

SAE 101: PERSONAL AND FINANCIAL

WELL-BEING, SAE STYLE
SNOW AND ICE AND SLIPPERY SIDEWALKS aren’t the only hazards
that winter brings. Extra holiday-season calories are part of the storm,
and they can be just as dangerous as the elements—perhaps more so.
To the outside world, SAE International is all about making
transportation technically safer, more efficient, and otherwise better
for society through its engineering standards and related products and
services used by industry at large. But SAE is also concerned about the
physical and financial well-being of its Members, and so it is offering an
ever-increasing number of personal benefits.
The most recent—and potentially most important—addition to its
SAE Member benefits portfolio is discounted gym membership through
American Specialty Health Fitness Inc.’s Active&Fit Direct program. The
program gives SAE Members access to 10,000 plus participating fitness
centers for just $25/month.
Said Brett Hanson, MBA, MBF, DFSS, an executive at American Nearly 80% of Americans don’t meet even the most modest
Specialty Fitness: “Gym membership is a good first step that can not national recommendations to get 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity
only help you develop new health habits, but also catapult you closer exercise each week.

SAE CYBERAUTO July 12–16, 2020

Warren, MI
CHALLENGE
TM
sae.org/cyberauto

LOOKING TO LAUNCH A WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

CAREER IN CYBERSECURITY? • Gain hands-on training using real cars, real
equipment, and real communications protocols
Apply for this 4.5 day • Participate in a 24-hour hackathon on current
training program and work model, full-featured vehicles
side-by-side with leading • Enhance your knowledge with classroom
cybersecurity and automotive lessons from experts in the field
professionals attempting to • Excellent resume builder
solve the challenges posed by • Grow your network and increase internship or
cybersecurity in automobiles. employment opportunities
Learn more about the challenge and how to apply.

P20451981
Deadline for Applications: April 13, 2020

16 March 2020 MOMENTUM

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 SAE NEWS

to your business goals. Achieving success in one area of

your life is a powerful way to promote positive habits in
other areas of life.”
One of those other areas is personal relationships.
“I joined a gym 20 years ago when I moved to a new
area, and it became a new second home for me,” said
Jamie Knauff, who as a University Programs Associate
at SAE International helps organize collegiate design
competitions. “I met so many new people. Some of my
best friends I met at this gym!”
“From my fitness journey,” she continued, “I learned so
much about myself—what I was capable of. I was stronger
than I knew. I also learned that I wanted to help people
on their fitness journey! I have since become a fitness “My motivation in going back to the gym is for balance,” said SAE staffer Michael
instructor, and I share my love for health and fitness with Pedee (middle). “I exercise to maintain good heart health and to provide stress
so many amazing people at the gym. Fitness should be management. In order to exercise, I need to fuel my body, so I continue to watch my
fun—and for YOU! Find your gym, your second home.” diet. Once I do that, I have energy I need to focus and be productive in the workplace.”
Nearly 80% of Americans don’t meet even the most
modest national recommendations to get 2.5 hours struck deals with a number of companies in each of those domains to
of moderate-intensity exercise each week. And some offer members large discounts on their services.
researchers have found that participants who performed These “Partner Program” benefits are distinct from what SAE
better than average in a cardio test also exhibit better labels “SAE Member Benefits, the latter of which are focused more on
cognitive function. members’ professional lives than their personal ones. Click here to view
SAE breaks down its “Partner Program” benefits into the entire SAE Member benefits portfolio.
three types: insurance, personal, and travel. SAE has By Patrick Ponticel, MOMENTUM editor

COLLEGIATE DESIGN SERIES SPONSORSHIP

What is SAE Collegiate and services. These extremely devoted and media exposure to over 11,000
companies are also onsite, supporting participants across all series.
Design Series (CDS) the event and recruiting the best I want to acknowledge, recognize,
sponsorship? CDS engineers. These events could not and thank our dedicated sponsors.
sponsors provide support, happen without the support of our Our CDS sponsorship manager, Martha
sponsors. If you are a member of a Tress, and her team continue to
product, and/or funding team, a past member, a facility advisor, bridge the gap between students and
to establish an integrated or organizer, you are aware of the companies through her relationship-
vital importance sponsors are to our building with companies that support
relationship between continued event success. our competitions. CDS Competitions
their company and the Sponsors obtain a firsthand, face- are an excellent hands-on engineering
Collegiate Design Series to-face relationship with our students, experience students can use to
their potential employees. Team supplement their classroom learning.
students. members get to initiate a dialogue, So, to our SAE Collegiate Design
This month, I want to highlight an establish an understanding about the sponsors, we say “thank you.” If you
important piece of our SAE CDS company, build a relationship, and would like to become a sponsor and
competitions: our sponsors. Over if all goes well receive an interview have your company meet the best and
60 companies partner with SAE or perhaps an offer. All this adds the brightest engineers in the world,
International through the CDS to up to a win-win for everyone. CDS contact Martha Tress at martha.tress.
support our competitions. CDS competitions are the venue that bring com to begin exploring opportunities.
sponsors and a potential workforce Thank you, take care
sponsors provide everything from Samuel Barill,
volunteers, to financial support, to together. CDS sponsors are also
CDS Competitions
supplying teams with their products getting visibility, brand awareness,

MOMENTUM March 2020 17

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 CAREER
PATH

DOSSIER: NOAH LUKINS OF

MAY MOBILITY
THIS MONTH’S DOSSIER SUBJECT parlayed his studies
at Kettering University and his involvement in the SAE
International and General Motors sponsored AutoDrive
Challenge competition into an engineering job at May
Mobility. The company operates autonomous shuttles in
several cities with the goal of creating “a better, cleaner,
and more accessible way to get around.
Lukins was a Sobey Scholar at Kettering and earned
a BS in mechanical engineering in 2018. He joined May
Mobility in January 2019, where his title is field autonomy
engineer. “We launch our vehicles on fixed, pre-mapped
routes through public and private partnerships in several
different cities. My job is to spin up these sites ensuring
that our shuttles are able to function autonomously and
also maintaining the sites as technology, infrastructure,
and traffic patterns change,” he said. Noah Lukins in front of one of May Mobility’s shuttles on the public launch date of
Read on to learn more about Lukins. Little Roady, a public driverless shuttle service in Providence, RI.

Why did you decide to become an engineer? suspension geometries calculated? How does a vehicle interpret
From an early age, I always loved to tinker. I often got data from an IMU? Rather then repair or replace faulty components,
in trouble for disassembling various items throughout I wanted to understand how these components were designed and
the house. While my parents mostly encouraged this, integrated. That’s when I started to think about engineering. Far from
finding the coffee maker in pieces or the car radio stuck direct, the journey I took to engineering was more of a discovery then
at maximum volume was not something they were a decision, but I would not want it any other way. Gaining this technical
particularly excited about. As I got older, I started to take background prior to pursuing engineering was far more valuable then I
interest in becoming an automotive technician. understood at the time, and continues to serve me today.
Starting in the Auto Tech program at Lansing
Community College, I learned how to work with my To what character traits do you attribute your success to date?
hands more effectively, gaining basic problem-solving From the very beginning, a strong sense of curiosity has put me on
skills along the way. Attending a four-year institution the path to where I am today. However, it is the ability to effectively
was expensive and not part of the plan for me until I communicate and ask constructive questions that allowed me to
started to ask more questions. What are the advantages understand information and leverage my curiosity, first at Kettering
of a unibody platform over body-on-frame? How are University and now at May Mobility. Early in my freshman year, I was
nervous about asking questions both in the classroom and on the job at
my co-op assignments. But later that year I took Calculus I with Professor
Masha, and initially I was struggling. Fed up with poor grades, I would
go to his office hours and ask questions, but doing so in front of my
peers was frankly frightening. “Everyone will think I have no clue what I
am doing”, I would think to myself. Through consistent encouragement
and pushing for excellence Professor Masha taught me to get over my
haughtiness and take responsibility for my education in the classroom.
That principle continues to be foundational to how I approach my work.

Of what accomplishment are you most proud?

Graduating from Kettering University as a Sobey Scholar was a dream
I had from freshman year and it represents four years of hard work.
Completing my senior capstone and thesis on solar-powered irrigation
systems with Dr. Laura Sullivan taught me more then I could have
imagined. But being offered a job at May Mobility is what I am most
After a long day of testing, Lukins enjoys some much-needed proud of.
shenanigans on a tandem bicycle.

18 March 2020 MOMENTUM

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 CAREER PATH

Noah explains various components of May’s driverless shuttle.

Noah presents a technology overview as part of a partner preview

day in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Who most influenced you on your journey to becoming a professional
engineer?
I can truly take little credit for getting to this point. There are so many, but foremost is my Grandfather. He would let me
I was rejected in my first attempt at employment with work on all of his projects with him and he would teach me how and
May. I was devastated, but still determined to work why we were doing something. From cleaning a motorcycle carburetor
there. I turned to Linkedin and found an alumnus from to putting siding on our cottage, some of my fondest memories are
Kettering, Lukas, was working at May. I messaged him tinkering with my Grandpa. Secondly, Professors Masha and Sullivan
and he graciously replied. We started to discuss my invested so much time and effort into demonstrating and teaching
goals and interests. This discussion occurred while I still not only the content of their classes, but principles of empathy and
had several months before graduating, and that’s quite excellence that would impact my career, and life in general.
early for potential positions at a startup. He encouraged
me to follow up with him closer to my graduation and, In what ways has your involvement with SAE International as a student
months later, I received an email inviting me to be prepared you for the workforce?
interviewed for the position I had previously applied for. I participated in the inaugural year of the SAE-GM AutoDrive Challenge.
Unbeknownst to me, another spot in field engineering Joining the Team at Kettering University, I was not sure what to expect.
opened up and Lukas had put my name back into the Prior to my involvement with AutoDrive, I had no exposure to driverless
candidate pool. technology. A complex system of various sensors, compute platforms,
While I take great pride in my work, I have learned that and algorithms was quite the intimidating combination for me as one
I am only able to pursue and achieve my goals because who was studying structural analysis, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer.
of the support of others. Creating and developing There was not much crossover between my completed coursework and
relationships with other people can be far more powerful the content of this challenge. This would change as I finished my senior
then the most impressive resume. year, but at the time it was alarming. Little did I know the work I did
during the competition would directly prepare me for my current job.
What is the most interesting project that you are From observing the output of a lidar sensor to training a neural network,
working on at the moment? I was able to learn the language of the space along with the different
From a field engineering perspective, I currently own systems needed to make a vehicle drive itself. More than just gaining
the Grand Rapids Site. Updating the route, hearing more experience, the AutoDrive Challenge impacted where I wanted to
and acting on feedback from our site staff, providing start my career.
demonstrations of our technology to Grand Rapids
partners, speaking at local high schools, and helping Why did you decide to transfer your SAE Student Membership to
keep the fleet in good working condition are all in Professional Membership after you graduated, and how useful is SAE
a day’s work. My job gives me the opportunity to to you today?
share technology that is often reserved for controlled My membership in SAE gave me incredible opportunities as a student.
environments or test labs with the general public. Seeing After graduating, I have continued to attend events hosted by the local
the reactions to driverless technology across all different SAE chapter and enjoy and appreciate the variety of programming
kinds of people from all different backgrounds is exciting. available to me as a professional.

MOMENTUM March 2020 19

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 CAREER PATH

OCCUPATIONAL BENEFITS OF
COMPETING IN TECHNICAL
COLLEGIATE COMPETITIONS
I have been a faculty advisor in industry. Students need students must be engaged they are likely to encounter in
for Pittsburg State University’s to be engaged in practical in activities outside the the workforce.
SAE Baja team for the past situations in order to improve classroom. In short, participation
20 years. Over this time frame, communication, acquire Academic collegiate in technical collegiate
PSU has competed in at least leadership abilities, learn to student organizations provide competitions serves as
one Baja competition yearly, work with others to solve opportunities for students an avenue for students to
as well as hosted the event in problems, and apply critical- to explore activities outside explore their field of study,
2011, 2014, 2017, and 2018. thinking skills. These skillsets the traditional classroom. learn skillsets outside of the
As a professional in a are required by industry to Students participate in classroom, and gain real-life
technical field, you will be be a productive employee in situations where they work experiences. Students will
tasked with many projects today’s market. with others to complete be able to draw from these
and responsibilities that may While it is possible for a common goal or task opportunities and experiences
not have been addressed in students to successfully that may help them to when interviewing for entry-
the curriculum within your enter the job market without develop skills desired by level positions, as well as
academic coursework. If your participation in academic industry. By participation assist them as they begin their
department or university collegiate student clubs in academic student careers in industry.
has student organizations and organizations, research competitions, students
that compete, especially suggests that those that do are given opportunities to
Dr. Trenton
in technically oriented have an advantage when learn and apply leadership Lindbloom, faculty
competitions, I would strongly it comes to entry-level skills, problem solving, advisor for the
urge you to become involved. employment. In order to communication, and critical Pittsburg State
Students that participate develop communication, thinking by applying University Baja
SAE team, wrote
in technical collegiate leadership, critical-thinking, classroom knowledge to this article for
competitions set themselves and problem-solving skillsets, situations and problems that MOMENTUM.
apart from their colleagues
in ways that can only be
achieved by participating in
a group project—especially
a group project that has a
competitive element, as all
of the SAE Collegiate Design
Series competitions do.
Today’s workforce is more
complex and demanding
than ever before. In order to
compete in today’s job market,
students need to be equipped
with complex problem-solving
skills and hands-on experience
before graduation. While the
formal classroom provides
knowledge in basic skills
and in some cases hands-
on learning, this may not be
enough to be competitive

20 March 2020 MOMENTUM

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