This is part of a 15-part series featuring students from Team PrISUm who are competing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia. For updates throughout the race follow PrISUm on Facebook and Twitter.
Name: Andrew Mallek
Hometown: Clarendon Hills, Illinois
Year: Senior
Major: Mechanical Engineering
What did you choose to attend Iowa State?
After my brother started his Electrical Engineering degree at Iowa State, I had the opportunity to spend some time getting to know the campus, resources, and organizations. I was a bit wary at first to moving out to Iowa but no more than a year later Ames become my new home. Now, looking back at the opportunities and memories that Iowa State has given me, I don’t think there is any other school that could compare.
Career aspirations: Eventually I want to work in the aerospace industry in a system engineering or automated manufacturing development role. At the moment, I am considering attending grad school.
Advice for aspiring engineering students: Get involved and utilize the resources on campus. Your experiences through your academic and professional career depend a lot on what you make of it. No matter what you do, follow your passions and strive for continual improvement.
Role on Team PrISUm: As the Systems Director, I spearhead our requirements analysis for the new vehicles and overlook the project from a systems perspective. This means early before the design phase, the systems division spends time outlining ways to manufacture and optimize the main interactive features of the car (i.e. door latches, dashboard, seating, etc.). Through the design and manufacturing phases of the car I work with our timeline manager to develop a comprehensive project timeline on top of ensuring co-dependent systems will function reliably.
What are you looking forward to most about Australia?
Seeing the amazing night sky in the middle of the outback on top of meeting the other teams from around the world.