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Student Group Learning at the Forefront of Innovation at Italian Motorsports
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Expert Advice: Gian Paolo Dallara (right), founder and
owner of Dallara Automobil, discusses topics about motorsport
vehicle design to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology President
Matt Branam, Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Patrick
Cunningham and Grand Prix Formula SAE team member Matt Kennedy
(left).
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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology mechanical engineering
students and faculty members interested in motorsports exchanged
ideas with leaders of automotive innovation at the Italian
headquarters of Dallara and Ferrari during a recent European
trip.
The
contingent was led by Rose-Hulman President Matt Branam and also
included Jeff Belskus, president and chief executive officer of
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is vice chair of
Rose-Hulman's Board of Trustees.
The
educational trip came at the invitation of Gian Paolo Dallara,
founder and owner of the most successful international motorsports
vehicle design company. Dallara Automobili
provided the six-day, all-expense-paid trip, and Gian Paolo Dallara
shared his philosophy for innovation and success while accompanying
the group during a tour of Dallara Automobili's facility in Varano,
Italy. There was also a visit to the Society of
Automotive Engineers' formula motorsports competition and a dinner
with Italian SAE members.
It was an
experience that the Rose-Hulman group will not soon
forget.
"Dallara is
a small company and Rose-Hulman is a small
college. In both places the people are
passionate about their jobs and they care about one
another. We both strive for excellence in what
we do," said Patrick Cunningham, assistant professor of mechanical
engineering and faculty adviser for Rose-Hulman's Grand Prix
Formula SAE race
team. "We
were all struck by similarities."
Students
participating are leaders of Rose-Hulman's Grand Prix Engineering
Formula SAE team which is part of the college's Advanced
Transportation Systems program. They had the opportunity to
meet with students from Israel, India and Germany at a European
regional Formula SAE competition in Varano.
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| Ciao! Rose-Hulman contingent joins Dallara eating Italian
style |
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"Even though we're from all these different backgrounds, we have
so much in common," said Daniel Watson, a senior from London,
Ky.
Other students participating in the trip were Graham Blyth, a
senior from York, Pa.; Jay Kautz, a junior from Geneva, Ill.; Matt
Kennedy, a senior from Berkeley Heights, N.J.; and Casey Povelones,
a senior from Danville, Ill. Zac Chambers, associate
professor of mechanical engineering and director of Rose-Hulman's
Advanced Transportation Systems program, also joined in the unique
educational experience.
Dallara's pursuit of excellence, and their philosophy of
employing failures as a tool to generate greater success, creates
an environment of innovation, team spirit and employee pride in
their work.
"Mr. Dallara is keen on allowing failure and learning from
mistakes. He commented that he tries to only make a mistake
once, learning from it and moving on, but mistakes are necessary
for learning, moving forward and innovating," Cunningham
related.
Rose-Hulman continues a strong relationship with the Italian
auto engineering industry, and officials hope to establish an
internship program for students to learn motorsports design at
Dallara Automobili's production facilities in Italy and
Indianapolis.