Off to the Races

Mandy Chick is at full throttle as a successful motorsports’ driver and in pursuit of a Rose-Hulman mechanical engineering degree. The 21-year-old Kansas native spent most of her youth and teenage years winning races behind the steering wheel of quarter midget, dirt modified and semi-professional late model racers. Now, Chick is rubbing bumpers in the Automobile Racing Club of America’s (ARCA) Menards Series, one of the top 4 tiers of National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). She competed in nationally televised races at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Milwaukee Mile Speedway with consistent results and lots of learning on the oval circuits. Next year Chick is looking forward to competing in a full tour schedule, including racing at such iconic tracks as Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Watkins Glen International. “We have many moving pieces right now and I’m hoping to secure enough marketing partnerships to have a true shot at competing for the 2023 Menards Series championship and winning the Rookie of the Year Award,” remarks Chick. “It’s been a long time coming, with lots of hard work by so many. I’ve learned a lot along the way and now I’m ready for a new adventure in racing. You learn by racing against the best.” And the top-tier NASCAR Cup Series may be calling in the future. As a third-generation racer, Chick is no stranger to motorsports. At 6 years old, she jumped into a quarter midget race car and became a quick learner. Soon she was regularly winning races at nearby tracks. In 2010, Chick was a regional and Kansas quarter midget champion and by age 13 had moved up to earn several top-10 finishes in the Asphalt Pro Late Model Series. Later she was named the NASCAR Missouri Rookie of the Year. As a high school senior, she was competing for the championship on the JEGS/Champion Racing Association’s All Stars Tour throughout the Midwest and running a few ARCA/CRA Super Series races. Along the way, she developed an interest in the technical side of racing and knew an engineering degree could further enhance her racing career. Chick was a member of the inaugural class of Noblitt Scholars, a program supporting enterprising STEM students to attend Rose-Hulman. The college has provided a solid educational foundation for students with similar motorsports interests, like Team Penske Racing President Tim Cindric (BSME, 1990/HDENG, 2021). “Racing is why I’m passionate about engineering. I went to [Rose-Hulman] to refocus and get a deeper appreciation for the sport,” Chick states. “I’m fascinated about all the things that go into making a competitive race car. I want to know why things are designed as they are and possibly how they could be designed better ... I went to engineering school as a career backup to racing, but now have developed bigger engineering goals.” Chick has put her knowledge of design, mechanics, and thermodynamics into developing a variety of 3D printed low-cost, low-heat components for her and other race teams through her small business, Victory 23 Designs. She also had an internship this past summer with Toyota Material Handling in Columbus, Indiana, and is planning to have a remote design internship next summer within the automotive industry. The Rose Squared program is providing the opportunity for Chick to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management within four years. Also, as if she needed more to do, Chick is involved on campus in the Delta Delta Delta sorority and Society of Women Engineers student chapter, is a mentor encouraging area 9th grade girls to study STEM, and serves as an Office of Admissions’ tour guide for visiting prospective students. “I like staying busy and have always been able to juggle lots of things in my life, finding that happy balance that keeps everything in perspective. It keeps things fun and interesting,” she says. “I always want to be involved in racing. It has provided me the best opportunities and most fun in my life. Thankfully, Rose-Hulman has added other aspects to what might be ahead for me.” n

Mechanical engineering junior Mandy Chick has been successful behind the wheel of race cars at every level in motorsports. She’s now driving in NASCAR’s ARCA Menards Series.

Follow Chick’s racing career at www.mandychick.com

Carlotta A. Berry, PhD, the Dr. Lawrence J. Giacoletto Endowed Chair for Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the Society of Women Engineers’ Distinguished Engineering Educator Award this fall for her work as a leading undergraduate robotics educator. She also was named among Indiana’s Women of Influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal. SWE annually recognizes women educators who have made significant contributions in the fields of engineering or engineering technology. Berry was recognized at WE22, a gathering women engineers and technologists. The Women of Influence award honored Berry for her success at Rose-Hulman while revealing the triumphs and challenges that has shaped her STEM education career. Berry, a member of the Rose-Hulman faculty since 2006, has brought her technical expertise and interests in mobile robotics and enhanced human-robot interfaces into the classroom. She also has been an advocate for diversifying the engineering profession. She helped start two advocacy organizations, Black In Engineering and Black In Robotics, to bring awareness to systemic racism in STEM, and build community and connection among higher education allies. The other faculty honors for this fall: Tracy Weyand, PhD, assistant professor of mathematics, received an outstanding service award from the Association for Women in Mathematics for her commitment to building communities in which women in mathematics can thrive and feel welcome. She helped found the institute’s student AWM chapter and helped members organize a Sonia Kovalevsky Math Day for Girls to encourage build interest in math among visiting high school girls. Miles Canino, PhD, and Namita Shrestha, PhD, were named 2022 Engineering Unleashed Fellows for their contributions to engineering education and, in particular, the development of students with an entrepreneurial mindset. Canino, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has re-developed a major project in his mechatronics course. Shrestha, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is integrating multiple entrepreneurial mindset ideas into her courses. Both have been a member of the Rose-Hulman faculty since 2020. Emma Dosmar, PhD, (BE, 2011), assistant professor of biomedical engineering, received funding Course Hero to explore integrating ungrading techniques into her first-year Matlab course and project-based learning practices into other STEM courses – in hopes of driving social change in STEM education. She has been a member of the Rose-Hulman faculty since the 2017-18 academic year.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (HDHL, 2020) appointed President Robert A. Coons to serve a two-year term on the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet (GWC) to help strengthen Indiana’s economy by addressing current and future education and employment needs for residents and employers. The panel comprises of statewide business officials, postsecondary institution and K-12 representatives, Indiana lawmakers, and leaders from Indiana state agencies. Coons brings a wealth of expertise in higher education, finance, and management to the GWC. He worked with Holcomb when Rose-Hulman hosted an Indiana Economic Development Corporation meeting on campus in the spring of 2019. “I’m looking forward to working alongside Governor Holcomb, other education leaders, and business, government, and community officials from throughout Indiana to help develop the workforce necessary to meet current industry and corporate needs and attract future employers,” says Coons.