UOWM Meets IEEE
I recently became a member of the University of Wollongong Motorsport (UOW Motorsport) team, which was a massive thing for me considering how much I like Motorsport. inside the Motorsport team I am working on building the brand new Electric vehicle (EV). This is the first year the team has decided to develop an electric race-car (EV) and I am lucky enough that I am a part of that process, which is bloody awesome in my eyes. Haven’t you ever wanted to say, “Yeah I made that”, or “Without me that might never have happened”. And to go with all of this I was also invited to represent the team at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) convention this year. IEEE is an international professional organisation that dedicates themselves to advancing technology. UOW Motorsport was invited to show off the cool stuff us student do, as well as the entire team.
The competition the team enters is F SAE or Formula Student overseas. F SAE is an international competition that started back in the 80s and only a few teams to now with around 200+ teams around the world. UOW Motorsport managed to come first in Australasia in 2016 and are presently ranked 9th in the world. Now that was an impressive statistic to keep telling people during the convention, and I was surprised myself when I heard it. Like I am now a part of a top-ranking team, how cool!
The convention was about showing off what awesome work the students had done over the years, and for the IEEE clubs, societies and companies to show off what they have done and to give tips and tricks on how to improve. Being at first year and brand new into the team made it a little harder to make the most out of the event but I still met heaps of awesome people from all over the world and made plenty of cool contacts. People from other universities loved to come over and find out about the project as well as show off what some of their students have done too. This is one awesome way to connect with like-minded people and network with industry professionals.
The weekend was more than just the convention though as afterwards I could meet up with friends I hadn’t seen in ages and bond with some of my team mates. It was awesome being able to eat a full big meal, while bantering with new friends. It is also a great feeling when you are hungry and the waiter brings over a massive plate with a schnitzel that covered the plate completely, and huge Haus made pretzels from the Bavarian Cafe. I enjoyed the entire experience and would totally recommend, especially if you enjoy having a 2+ litre beer tower or a glass the size of your head. But overall, I have an awesome time and can’t wait for the next event I get invited to 😀
For more information on what UOW Motorsport does check out our website and follow us on social media to see how we go at comp this year, and see if the electric car I worked on makes it. (http://www.uowmotorsport.com/)