Month: July 2014

UConn Formula SAE places in the top group in the International Competition

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UConn Formula SAE places in the top group in the International Competition

Although still new to the competition, UConn’s Formula SAE team placed in the top group of competitors at the Formula SAE Competition at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

The four-day competition brings together teams of university undergraduate and graduate students from around the world to conceive, design, fabricate and compete with a small, formula style, competition vehicle. To give teams the maximum design flexibility and the freedom to express their creativity and imagination, there are very few restrictions on the overall vehicle design. Teams typically spend eight to twelve months designing, building and preparing their vehicles before a competition.

The cars are judged in a series of static and dynamic events including technical inspection, cost, presentation, and engineering design, solo performance trials, and high performance track endurance. These events are scored to determine how well the car performs.

The UConn team began competing at the Michigan event seven years ago, making it a relative newcomer compared to many of the other teams. Under advisor Dr. Thomas Mealy, the team nonetheless placed 20th overall out of the 120 teams in attendance at one of the most competitive events of the year. With the continuing support of sponsors and the department of Mechanical Engineering, UConn Formula SAE is working toward even greater success with the refined design and manufacture of the 2014-2015 vehicle already underway.

– Timothy Thomas, B.S., ME 2014, UConn SAE Team Leader

Alumni, Craig W. Ashmore

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Craig W. Ashmore (B.S. Mechanical Engineering/Civil Engineering, ‘85) joined Platinum Equity, LLC as a principal responsible for senior level business development activities focused on identifying new acquisition opportunities.  From October 2009 to November 2013, he was Executive Vice President of Planning and Development at Emerson Electric Co., serving as a Member of Emerson’s Office of the Chief Executive. As head of Emerson’s M&A organization, Ashmore evaluated more than 500 potential acquisitions, executing more than 50 buy-side transactions with an aggregate cost of over $6 billion.  At Platinum Equity, he consults with executives at other large, global companies dealing with the same challenges he faced during a 22-year career as an executive and corporate dealmaker at the $25 billion global manufacturing and technology company.  Ashmore holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.