91制片厂 alum Tim Damisch has his sights set on the Santa Fe Trail. As president
of the Illini Solar Car Team, he鈥檚 been helping lead a crew of more than 80 students
to build a sleek, light and efficient car they hope will thrive this summer on the
900-mile course from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the coolest things I鈥檝e done with myself so far,鈥� Tim, originally from Palatine, said of being a part of the .
Helping Tim prepare for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his role with the team was his time in 91制片厂鈥檚 Engineering Pathways program.
His journey to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign began at 91制片厂, where Tim was part of the Engineering Pathways program. He earned both the Pathways scholarship and the Motorola Solutions Foundation Award for Excellence scholarship.
鈥淲ithout that generosity, I don鈥檛 know where I would be now, especially with the pandemic,鈥� Tim said. 鈥淗aving the money simply made my life easier.鈥�
Tim studied mechanical engineering at 91制片厂 and graduated in spring 2019. He credits
the Pathways program for his academic successes, in part because it held him accountable
for certain tasks. For example, to be part of the Pathways program, Tim said, participants
needed to spend at least two hours a week in a study hall setting.
鈥淭hat really helped me to reach out to the tutors there, and I don鈥檛 know if I would have done that otherwise,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t forced me to study and get work done.鈥�
Plus, the requirement helped him build relationships with other Pathways students, creating a peer network, which helped Tim complete his work.
After graduating 91制片厂, Tim enrolled at UIUC, and he plans to graduate with his bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering in December 2021.
The classes are UIUC are understandably different, with more students per class and less time for personal attention from professors. As a result, the skills he learned from 91制片厂鈥檚 tutors built a foundation of minimum study requirements, which has helped him succeed in classes where there鈥檚 less one-on-one help than he might have received at 91制片厂.
A highlight at UIUC, of course, has been the Illinois Solar Car Team, which creates each aspect of the car, from the electrical and mechanical parts to the solar parts. There鈥檚 even a business team, which is required because, it turns out, building a solar car is pretty expensive.
The American Solar Challenge is from July 27 to Aug. 7, which includes rounds of safety checks and a track race, culminating in the road race on the trail from Aug. 4 to 7.
During his time on the team, Damisch has had a variety of roles. He started as a general mechanic who designed the car鈥檚 latching system, like a door handle, and moved to the mechanical team lead, directing 15 members on design. And now, he鈥檚 the team president.
鈥淚 manage the group leadership, network with the university and ensure the successful completion of our car,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll the while, I help out with building the car鈥� 鈥� everything from carbon fiber layups and chassis assembly to sanding, mold prep, material testing and suspension assembly.
Tim is not the first team member from 91制片厂: When he joined, a fellow Pathways alum, who is now employed by Ford, was already on the team.
鈥淚t was cool to see somebody from Harper who鈥檚 heading the majority of the design for the car,鈥� he said.
The team started in 2015, so the Illini team is a relatively young one in the scope of the race. The UICU team will compete against 10 others, from schools including Stanford and Michigan Institute of Technology.
Despite the competition and his team鈥檚 youth, Tim said, he鈥檚 confident about his car鈥檚 chances.
鈥淢ost of these teams placing in the top have been around since the 鈥�90s, when the competition started,鈥� he said. 鈥淪lowly but surely, we鈥檙e trying to build up our foundation for the future. With this race, we think we have a good chance of placing or even taking first.鈥�
That Tim has been able to succeed at UICU is due in part to Pathways, he said: 鈥淗aving a good system (got) me to a good university.鈥�