Honda-sponsored Camp CAR 2020 Goes Virtual

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For the third consecutive year, The Ohio State Center for Automotive Research (CAR), with the support of Honda, Ohio State Energy Partners and Engie provided a unique experience for those interested in automotive engineering through Camp CAR. What is typically a week long summer day camp for 20 high school students, this year the camp was held virtually for one afternoon and open to people of all ages who were interested in learning more about CAR.

“Camp is a highlight of our programming year, and while we were disappointed not being able to host an in-person version, our entire CAR team worked hard to create webinar content that was informative, engaging and fun,” said Jen Humphrey, CAR outreach and events manager. “Two silver linings of the virtual experience were that we were able to welcome four-times the amount of participants of our in-person camp, as well as welcome participants from ten other US states, Puerto Rico and three international countries.”

Campers had the opportunity to hear from CAR faculty and students and attend a virtual tour of the facility. They were also introduced to the Student Motorsports teams and watched videos of the teams during competition.

“’Getting young students exposed to CAR and all of the different components of automotive engineering is important for developing the next generation of innovators in our field,” said Polina Brodsky, a PhD student in Mechanical Engineer who helped lead the camp. “Our industry is always advancing, and showing students how multi-faceted it is shows them the opportunities they could have in a career in the automotive industry.”

A highlight for many of the participants was hearing from Industrial Designer, JD Orr whose background includes designing vehicle exteriors for Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Orr described the vital relationship between designers and engineers, while performing a live sketch.

Camp CAR participants will be invited to an in-person tour of CAR and Motorsports facilities once campus is open to the public.

Camp CAR is an annual summer program. Applications for the 2021 camp will be available at car.osu.edu in the spring of 2021.