| The
Need for Speed
 It
may not be a high-performance car, but a highly efficient,
electric go-cart designed by Sarah Wodin-Schwartz ’07
may lead to future innovations in the automobile and transportation
industries.
The go-cart, which was designed
last year, is powered by batteries charged via solar panels
on the roof of the engineering building. The car could also
be adapted to use fuel cells, Wodin-Schwartz says.
“I couldn’t have
a go-cart when I was younger,” laments Wodin-Schwartz,
“so I decided to build one as an additional project.
It’s a lot of fun.”
Wodin-Schwartz, who will complete
her engineering degree this spring, plans to pursue a doctorate
in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) at the University
of California, Berkeley, after leaving Smith. “MEMS
are essentially complete systems on a microchip that sense
and control their environment -- things like fuel injection
or airbag deployment,” she explains. “I’m
interested in how this technology can improve transportation,
especially with the environmental challenges we face.”
While her go-cart may be among
the most enjoyable projects she’s completed at Smith,
Wodin-Schwartz has remained involved in a variety of other
engineering-related endeavors.
"I
couldn't have a go-cart when I was younger," says
Wodin-Schwartz |
“I’ve done so many
things since I came to Smith,” she said, “like
dissecting engines, developing a one-armed kayak paddle, and
working on the NASA students research project. I really enjoy
being able to apply what I’m learning in different courses
and seeing how one class informs another.”
During the past year, Wodin-Schwartz
teamed with fellow Smith engineers in the Senior Design Clinic,
working with Aavid Thermalloy, a global developer and manufacturer
of heat management systems, on designing a personal computer
(PC) that can work in tropical environments.
PCs have traditionally been designed
for use in air-conditioned spaces in industrialized countries
with clean, steady electrical power. Less developed countries
in tropical environments present hazards such as high levels
of airborne dust, hot, humid operating environments and spotty
electrical power. Factors such as bumpy roads can expose products
to high shock and vibration during transportation.
The goal of the Design Clinic
project is to develop a PC enclosure that provides a dust-free,
sealed environment for sensitive elements, such as computer
motherboards and hard drives. Aavid Thermalloy will integrate
the design and ideas from the seniors’ project to develop
a commercial product for manufacture and sale in tropical
countries.
For Wodin-Schwartz, her wide-ranging
interests at Smith reflects her life’s varied pattern.
“I always liked to play with blocks, and I wanted to
be an astronaut,” she recalls, “then an archaeologist,
then an economist. But I knew I wanted to be an engineer by
7th or 8th grade.”
In addition to her avid interest
in engineering, Wodin-Schwartz has worked as a kayak instructor,
and enjoys rock-climbing and cooking. “And I really
enjoy Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist art,” she
adds. “Georges Seurat is my favorite, perhaps because
I enjoy being able to see so much of the technique in the
work.”
She rounds out her studies with
courses in Spanish, ethics, and acting.
With her list of interests and
activities, Wodin-Schwartz may need her go-cart to speed from
place to place on campus.
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