Name: Kevin Olikara
Major: Electrical Engineering
Year: Senior
Position: Controls/Electrical
Hometown: Brookfield, WI
How long have you been on the team? 2 years
How did you hear about the team? Friend
Why did you stay on the team? I was learning tons from the first day I joined, and it was really interesting to see how to apply what I learn in the classroom to real life applications. Everyone on the team was willing to teach me something new and were all committed to developing a professional quality final product.

Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Thinking about going to graduate school in business.
Favorite Music? Incubus, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band, Muse
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Solving real life engineering problems, debugging complex systems, soldering and other applied electrical skills, controls fundamentals, Simulink

Do you have any upcoming projects? Developing the controls code for the upcoming EcoCar vehicle

What skills do you hope to improve on? Developing and interfacing controls and plant models
Do you have any hidden talents? pretty good at the drums
What’s one word that describes you? Chill
Are you a car guy? Being in hybrid, my interest in cars have risen quite a bit lately, but I wouldn’t consider myself a “car guy,” especially in the traditional sense.
If you had one superpower what would it be? The ability to teleport.
What do you do in your spare time? Drumming and playing music, watching Badger football and basketball games, following the Packers a little too much
What’s your favorite season? Summer
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? It’s definitely a step in the right direction, but it’s not an end-all solution to minimizing our oil dependence.
What’s your ideal car? The Batmobile
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I worked at Subway one summer.
What are your hobbies? Tennis, drums, football, baseball, basketball, pushing electrons around
What have you done for the team that you’ve most proud of? Gave the Controls presentation along with Steve that did well at the last competition.

What’s your favorite food? Lasagna, Chipotle burritos

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Name: Dan Grice
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Year: Senior
Position: Outreach Coordinator
Hometown: West Allis, WI
How long have you been on the team? 1 year
Why did you stay on the team? What better way to spend my free time than work on cars?

Do you have any plans for after you graduate? I’m graduating in December 2009 and hope to get a job performing metallurgical failure analysis either in an R&D or consulting lab.  I’m also getting married in May 2010.
Favorite Music? “Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world…”
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Machining with the lathe and mill, some basic modeling skills.

Do you have any upcoming projects? I’m working on repackaging the batteries for the Formula Hybrid and Electric Snowmobile Teams.

What skills do you hope to improve on? Welding
Do you have any hidden talents? Singing and vocal percussion.
What’s one word that describes you? Nerd
Are you a car guy? Yeah, but not as much as I’m a bike guy.
What do you do in your spare time? I love long-distance cycling. At least once per summer, I try to go on a multiple day bike tour.  Other than that, I’m a big baseball fan too.
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? Hybrid are great stepping stones to fully electric vehicles.
What’s your ideal car? Trek Madone Project One.  Okay, well that’s a bike, but it costs just as much as a car.
What have you done for the team that you’ve most proud of? Probably the week before the Moovada shipped to ChallengeX 2008 and I became an expert on tearing down the rear suspension.  There was one night I’m pretty sure we did it 3 or 4 times.

What’s your most embarrassing Hybrid Team story? I seized the engine of a UW Fleet Vehicle on the way to Detroit with seven guys in the car.  To be fair, that car would have died no matter who was driving it.

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Name: Alexander Harris
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Super Senior
Position: Lowly Grunt
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
How long have you been on the team? 3 years
How did you hear about the team? Kickoff Fliers
Why did you stay on the team? Hands on Engineering
Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Work
Favorite Music? Rock
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Leadership

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Name: Drew Kosmoski
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Junior
Hometown: Shorewood, WI
How long have you been on the team? 1.5 Years
How did you hear about the team? Saw a segment on Motorweek

Why did you stay on the team? I enjoy learning skills not taught in class, as well as the friendly atmosphere.
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Machining, using all the different tools we have available, problem solving.

What skills do you hope to improve on? Welding, Haas CNC mill
Are you a car guy? Without a doubt.  I read Jalopnik everyday and watch Top Gear every week.
If you had one superpower what would it be? Either be in two places at the same time, or read other peoples minds.
What do you do in your spare time? Ski, Sail, Mountain Bike, Work on my Jeep, Travel with my Jeep.
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? It’s a good short term solution, however, we still need a long term solution that is completely renewable.
What’s your ideal car? Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited
What have you done for the team that you’ve most proud of? Being able to come back to the team after doing Formula SAE for a year, and contribute to the CAD work for report 2A right away.  It almost felt like I never left.

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Name: Adam Richards
Major: Electrical Engineering
Year: Senior
Position: Team Leader
How long have you been on the team? 2.5 Years
How did you hear about the team? Searched for it on the UW Webpage
Why did you stay on the team? It was very interesting to me and I wanted to learn more about what all goes into hybrid vehicle design.  There were a lot of hands on projects that kept things interesting plus it seemed like I was able to learn things on the team before it ever came up in class.  Also, since I have a real interest in the growing field of hybrid vehicle technology I hope to use this experience in my future career.

Do you have any plans for after you graduate? I plan to get a job in the automotive industry primarily dealing with electronics and controls.  Other than that I have no idea.  I’m not sure on more schooling at this point but it is always an option.
Favorite Music? I really have an interest in all types of music.  I primarily listen to Rock, Jazz, and Rap although every now and then I can really get interested in a random genre.
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Computer Programming with Matlab/Simulink, Wiring, Soldering, Welding, Breaking Computers, General Automotive Knowledge…

Do you have any upcoming projects? Along with the Controls Group, I have been designing the control strategy for the EcoCAR vehicle.  This was implemented in a test environment for the first year of competition and I am looking forward to setting it loose on the car.  As Team Leader I will also be working closely with our Group Leaders to keep the project on time and ready for a great competition this Spring.

What skills do you hope to improve on? I want to gain a better background in various control methods and algorithms.  I have a good understanding of how the system works but I would like to learn more about what I can do to change the outcome to better suit my needs.
Do you have any hidden talents? I play the drumset…usually its either Funk, Jazz, or Rock.
Are you a car guy? Hell Yeah!!!
If you had one superpower what would it be? The ability to be anywhere in an instant - Telekinesis I think…
What do you do in your spare time? Usually I don’t have spare time because of work, class, and hybrid….but I like to go snowboarding, listen to music, play music/jam, badger games, soccer, breaking computers when I try to fix them, anything to do with racing and cars, and I like food…
What’s your favorite season? Fall
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? I think that hybrid technology is a step in the right direction but can be improved.  With better battery technology and electric motors I feel that we can shift much of the main powertrain to be primarily electric powered.  While combustion engines will still play a major role in the future I think that we can build larger more powerful vehicles that are electric and just as efficient as the compact hybrids of today.
What’s your ideal car? Its not exactly ‘Green’ - 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 but I would settle for a 2010 Ford Mustang GT500
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Target Grocery Department - Stocking Shelves

What’s your favorite food? Pizza

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Name: Adam Strutz
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Super Senior
Position: RADAR a.k.a. Number Two
Hometown: Middleton, WI
How long have you been on the team? ~ 2 years
Why did you stay on the team? Even though all I did was stay late getting tools for the veteran members, I felt like a core member staying until 11 to do something to the suspension of a car.  I knew there was a lot for me to learn.  I also knew that hybrid vehicles were the next big improvement to the auto industry and that being on a team where I built one would give me a leg up on other engineers when I wanted to look for a job.

What skills have you picked up while on the team? TIG & MIG welding, using an end mill and a lathe, as well a plethora of general knowledge about cars / engines / the work that goes into making a functional vehicle.

Do you have any upcoming projects? Designing a color scheme for the vehicle, obtaining sponsorships, creating a business card, managing the CAD for the vehicle
Do you have any hidden talents? I’m pretty good at ping-pong
If you had one superpower what would it be? To be super smart… like Chris Meyer
What’s your favorite season? Fall - it’s the perfect temperature.  October is the best month of the year.
What’s your ideal car? ‘74 Chevy Corvette Stingray Coupe (light blue) but I’m also a fan of how the ZR1/Z06 and C6 looks.. also in blue
What’s your most embarrassing Hybrid Team story? 1st semester on the team, I had the honor of going to competition.  I hadn’t ever driven the Moovada before then; however, I had been paying a friend to teach me how to drive a manual transmission on his old car.  At the competition, there was an autocross course (windy road track) and after we ran our time, Glenn had the team taking turns driving the course.  Everyone was watching everyone else drive.  As one of two new guys on the team (Dan Grice & I) and the only one of us who was approved to drive, I was hesitating whether or not to drive it; Glenn directly said “If you want to go, go already”.  So I got in, with Dan Grice as my passenger.  I backed up and was aligned.  All ready to go with the whole team watching, I gunned it and *clunk cluck clunk*, and i came to halt 10′ from where I started.  I stalled the Moovada.  I tried again, and didn’t get far, stalling it again.  I was trying to gun it in third gear.  It turned out that the configuration depicted on the stick was different from the actual configuration.  The configuration showed the left-most gear was rear and the next over was 1st.  Instead, the transmission was already in reverse (which is actually the same position as 1st, just requiring that you push down to get it into first) and when I moved the stick right to what I thought was first - was third.

I was consoled by a veteran team member who ran out and quickly educated me; he passed it off to the rest of the team as a “controls issue”.

What have you done for the team that you’ve most proud of? I was pretty proud of completing the first project on the team that I was put in charge of: making photoshop files / stickers of sponsors for the vehicle.  In retrospect, it was a small task.

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Name: Eric Wills
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Freshman
Position: Mechanical Team Member
Hometown: Eagan, MN
How long have you been on the team? 1 Semester
How did you hear about the team? During the Engineering Fair at the beginning of the year.
Why did you stay on the team? It’s a lot of fun.  It’s nice to get away from the books and work on a car.

Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Get a job somewhere in engineering.
Favorite Music? Pretty much anything as long as its not country.
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Welding, SolidWorks, and a whole bunch of general knowledge about cars.

What skills do you hope to improve on? I need to get a lot better at welding.
Do you have any hidden talents? Xbox.
What’s one word that describes you? Determined.
Are you a car guy? Definitely.  I’m not one of those guys that knows everything about every car, but I do consider myself a car guy.
If you had one superpower what would it be? To have super intelligence.
What do you do in your spare time? Try to do stuff outside or play sports.
What’s your favorite season? Summer
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? I think that it’s the first big step on our way to become less dependent on foreign oil.
What’s your ideal car? The new Shelby GT500.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Well, the only job I’ve ever had was working at a clothing store.  It just wasn’t my thing.

What’s your favorite food? Steak, or mexican food.

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Name: Chris Aberger
Major: Computer Engineering
Year: Sophomore
Position: Controls Leader
Hometown: La Crosse, WI
How long have you been on the team? One Year
How did you hear about the team? Team web page
Why did you stay on the team? I enjoyed the hands on engineering experience.
Do you have any plans for after you graduate? No
Favorite Music? Dave Matthews Band
What skills have you picked up while on the team? A expanded knowledge on hybrid vehicles.
What skills do you hope to improve on? Everything
What’s one word that describes you? Models
Are you a car guy? Kind of.
If you had one superpower what would it be? To be able to read people’s minds
What do you do in your spare time? Play tennis, run, and wake board.
What’s your favorite season? Fall
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? It’s a good thing but not the answer.
What’s your ideal car? Bentley
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Cashier at Farm and Fleet.
What are your hobbies? Skiing, exercising, playing sports

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Name: Kyle Strohmaier
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: 2011
Position: Mechanical Leader
Hometown: Minnetonka, MN
How long have you been on the team? 2 semesters
How did you hear about the team? Through the grapevine
Why did you stay on the team? I was learning more on the team than I was learning in class
Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Maybe touring with my band
Favorite Music? Steely Dan, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, etc.  I’ll talk jazz or classic rock with whomever
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Welding, graphical programming, machining, picking up chicks
Do you have any upcoming projects? Tearing apart and rebuilding an entire truck
What skills do you hope to improve on? Automotive problem diagnosis, machining
Do you have any hidden talents? I play lots of musical instruments
What’s one word that describes you? Environmentalist
Are you a car guy? Have been for 21 years
If you had one superpower what would it be? Reading minds
What do you do in your spare time? Play golf and tennis, play and write music, go camping
What’s your favorite season? Summer
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? It’s great — let’s keep improving it
What’s your ideal car? Porsche 911 GT2
What are your hobbies? It would be redundant to answer this

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Name: Brian Lee
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Sophomore
Position: I’m on the mechanical team.
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
How long have you been on the team? About a semester
How did you hear about the team? First week of school, I think it was at the engineering fest
Why did you stay on the team? I liked the hands-on work, and I’ve learned a lot of practical things about cars since I joined, and it’s got a relaxed work environment.
Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Ideally, I want to get a job at Lotus Engineering or a similar company in Britain. If that fails, travel for a year, go to grad school and try again.
Favorite Music? Underground hip-hop and alternative is usually my cup of tea.
What skills have you picked up while on the team? A ton of technical skills like welding, using machine shop equipments, and so on. Not many freshman get the kind of opportunities that Hybrid offers.
Do you have any upcoming projects? Thinking about a new paint scheme for the Vue.
What skills do you hope to improve on? the controls side of cars
Do you have any hidden talents? I can cook pretty well.
What’s one word that describes you? mellow
Are you a car guy? Sure, cars are pretty cool.
If you had one superpower what would it be? The power to fly.
What do you do in your spare time? I try to run everyday and try to keep healthy.
What’s your favorite season? Autumn-ish
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? It’s not a long term solution, but it’s a great transition from the wasteful American lifestyle to a more efficient one, everyone should embrace it, and I hope to make a career out of it.
What’s your ideal car? Lotus Evora
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? busser at a restaurant
What are your hobbies? I enjoy soccer, frisbee, tennis, and road biking. I really like outdoorsy activities. I also waste a lot of time on Hulu.

What’s your most embarrassing Hybrid Team story? When I was learning to weld, I thought I was pretty good at it until I put a hole in the piece of steel I was welding.
What have you done for the team that you’ve most proud of? So far, I helped put together the new trade show model of how hybrids work. That was pretty cool.

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Name: Michael Sartin-Tarm
Nickname: Pirate
Major: Computer Engineering
Year: Sophomore
Position: Controls team member
Hometown: La Crosse, WI
How long have you been on the team? 1 semester
How did you hear about the team? Chris Aberger sucked me in.
Why did you stay on the team? It’s interesting and engaging.
Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Grad school
Favorite Music? Radiohead / Beatles / Rachmaninoff
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Simulink competence
What skills do you hope to improve on? A better sense of the overall organization behind producing code for the vehicle.
Do you have any hidden talents? Piano/drumset proficiency
What’s one word that describes you? Logician
Are you a car guy? No
If you had one superpower what would it be? To instantaneously travel to any place by pointing at it
What do you do in your spare time? Music, run
What’s your favorite season? Summer
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? Two separate technologies coexisting within one car doesn’t seem like the most efficient use of either technology, and I’m thinking once the requisite battery technology is available gasoline engines will be eradicated.
What’s your ideal car? A stick shift
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Janitor at Kohl’s
What are your hobbies? Music composition, reading
What’s your most embarrassing Hybrid Team story? Contacting the Matlab support
What have you done for the team that you’ve most proud of? Figured out how to export code from Simulink to Labview.

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Name: Zack Ward
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Super Senior
Position: Member?
Hometown: River Falls, WI
How long have you been on the team? 2 Semesters
Why did you stay on the team? The guys are cool and I wanted to build a real car!
Do you have any plans for after you graduate? Hopefully some kind of electromechanical design or electric vehicle design
Favorite Music? Everything
What skills have you picked up while on the team? Welding, Machining
What skills do you hope to improve on? Machining, Lathe, Solid Modeling, FEA
Do you have any hidden talents? I do an amazing chicken impression
What’s one word that describes you? Awesome
Are you a car guy? I’m alternative fuel vehicle guy
If you had one superpower what would it be? flying
What do you do in your spare time? Sports (Ultimate, Tennis, Snowboarding, Golf, Volleyball)
What’s your favorite season? Spring
What are your opinions on hybrid technology? It’s a bridge
What’s your ideal car? Tesla Roadster
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Landscaping
What are your hobbies? Being Bad at video games
What’s your most embarrassing Hybrid Team story? Bathroom in Toronto