In the 26th year of the University of Michigan’s Michigan Leadership Awards, two ME students, Jason Moscetti and Christopher Worrel, received recognition as Outstanding New Members in April 2005. The two were recognized for their work with the M-Racing Team and Habitat for Humanity, respectively. The Outstanding New Member Award recognizes students who have exhibited enthusiasm and initiative, and who have provided formal or informal leadership and service to the University of Michigan community.
In his role as the “chief engineer” of the M-Racing Team, sophomore Jason Moscetti oversaw all vehicle systems to make sure they are integrated properly.
As he noted, however, the job is all encompassing. “My primary responsibility is to question and encourage those responsible for designing the vehicle’s sub-systems to put their maximum effort into squeezing every last bit of performance out of the car,” said Moscetti. “This requires creativity, precise engineering analysis, and hard work. I am also responsible for the engine lubrication and driveline subsystems.”
He received his award because of his extensive involvement in the team’s student design team projects, specifically the Formula SAE car. Formula SAE is an internationally recognized engineering competition where teams design/build/race a small open-wheeled race car on an autocross style track. An admitted car guy, New Jersey native Moscetti wanted to specialize in automotive engineering, specifically motorsports, because he appreciates the mental and physical challenges of the sport. He sees his studies in Mechanical Engineering as a perfect fit for his interest.
He credited his passion for design and manufacturing, coupled with the excitement of racing and competition, for his interest in joining the team.
“New members begin with minimal formal responsibility to the team,” he said. “So, I needed to push myself in order to get more involved. I dedicate all of my time outside of school and work into maintaining the current running car and design efforts for future cars because the competition requires a new car be build every year.”
“Mechanical engineers are involved in every aspect of physical science and technology,” said Moscetti. “ME’s must know the behavior of all states of matter as well as energy in the form of electricity, heat, or physical work. This sort of knowledge can be applied to almost any field. In short, I see mechanical engineering as the science of ‘how stuff works.’ My desire is to learn and understand as much as I can so that I can apply it later in life.”
Moscetti came to ME at the University of Michigan because of the school’s outstanding reputation. He attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology for his first year at college, but then, as he said, “I realized I wanted to get the most out of my education, and transferred to U–M for its renowned engineering excellence.”
As for having received the award, Moscetti placed his emphasis on his work, not the award itself. “I feel that the respect I’ve earned through the nomination process is enough to honor my efforts. I hope that my recognition someday goes towards inspiring others to put their best efforts in whatever it is they do.”
He expressed his thanks to his fellow team mates and group advisor Professor Volker Sick for their support.
ME senior Christopher Worrel appreciates the work of the University of Michigan Habitat for Humanity chapter. The organization is dedicated to eliminating poverty housing and to enabling students to put their time and energy into helping others.
Worrel, who’s recently completed an internship as a manufacturing support engineer at Terumo Cardiovascular Systems in Ann Arbor, had had previous experience with Habitat for Humanity. While his experience in construction was limited, he had been involved with a lot of the organization’s ‘build days’ and used his knowledge and experience to help the other people with less experience to enjoy these events. He also found his ME education quite helpful.
“My ME education definitely helped with my work with Habitat,” said Worrel. “Even from the first time, it gave me the familiarity with technical drawing that allowed me to read and understand blue prints and building plans. The manufacturing projects we have to do for the ME curriculum game me the familiarity with working with tools that allowed me to help out others.”
He originally chose to work with Habitat for Humanity because he felt that it is a worthwhile project that helps the community. “It provides a good learning opportunity for students like me, giving us a chance to learn a new skill, to meet new people, and to work to improve the community we live in.”
While he recognizes that simply doing the work is its own reward, Worrel still appreciates the honor he received. “When I was notified that I had been nominated for the award, I felt pretty good about it. I was very happy to be recognized for the efforts that I had put into the organization.”