UC professor awarded Formula SAE Mentor's Cup
UC mechanical engineering professor Randall Allemang.
Bearcat Motorsports, the University of Cincinnati’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) team, once again had a strong finish at this year’s East competition held at Michigan International Speedway.
The UC team placed 40th out of 114 teams. This finish is the result of countless hours of time and commitment, but it’s also the result of outstanding mentorship.
At the 2018 Formula SAE Award’s Ceremony, Bearcat Motorsports faculty adviser Randall Allemang received the Carroll Smith Mentor’s Cup. The Mentor’s Cup is the highest award a faculty adviser can receive from across the three different Formula competitions (Formula SAE, Formula Hybrid and Formula SAE Electric), recognizing “extraordinary levels of personal time and expertise given to engineering education and the ability to serve as an exceptional role model for students.”
In their nomination letter, team leader Jacob Frisco and graduate student Brian Steinbrunner said Allemang “has shaped young engineers with practical, effective and personal mentorship. His mentorship allows students to develop their engineering, interpersonal and management skills in a way that is not possible during regular coursework.”
Allemang has served as Bearcat Motorsports adviser for the last 16 years, teaching the class that mechanical engineering students can take as part of the senior design sequence in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science.
“Many senior design projects are simply paper design,” Allemang said. “This project offers students the opportunity to be part of many factors of an engineering project like building and testing.”
Allemang said his job as adviser is to educate the team, providing them direction but also giving them the opportunity to learn from their own mistakes. He enjoys the diverse combination of students a class like this brings together.
“It’s a really interesting mix of people that sometimes works well and sometimes not so well. You never know what to expect,” Allemang said. “My job is to manage this whole process, while verbalizing the limits the students are under, so the team doesn’t try to do too many things in a one-year cycle.”
The UC Bearcat Motorsports team poses with its car. Photo/Provided
Given the Formula competition requirements, the team must create a new vehicle frame each year, so, though most teams tweak designs from previous years, students still construct a completely new car. This can seem daunting to a faculty adviser, Allemang said.
“The difficulty with advising a project like this is you have to know many things,” he said. “You have to know engines, structure, fluid flow and thermodynamics. Early on, you learn alongside students in all of these areas.”
The Carroll Smith Mentor’s Cup means a lot to Allemang, not only because of the recognition by his peers but also because he had the chance to meet Carroll Smith years ago, as Smith’s involvement was winding down and Allemang’s was just starting up. Smith also felt strongly about the educational aspects of the competition.
“It’s meaningful to win an award that is named after somebody I’ve met and whose view of things I appreciate,” Allemang said.
Later this month, Allemang and the Bearcat Motorsports team heads to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Formula SAE West competition. Allemang will continue to guide these students this summer and into his 17th year as an adviser and instructor for the team.
To Frisco and Steinbrenner, this dedication sticks with students even after their time at UC: “Countless alumni can trace their career path and professional success to the skills and experiences gained through a program championed by Allemang.”
Featured image at top: A UC student drives the Bearcat Motorsports car on a track. Photo/Provided
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