Kim Concillado: Women in Technology @ OSU
Are you interested in green technologies? Do you want to design, build, and race a world-class electric motorcycle? Buckeye Current(link is external), Ohio State’s student motorcycle team, does all this and more in their efforts to develop a fast, efficient electric motorcycle.
We got a chance to catch up with Kim Concillado, the teams’ outreach coordinator about what it’s like to be on the team and how the experience has shaped her time at Ohio State.
Can you describe what you do for the team?
My heaviest participation on the operations side came from my role as an outreach coordinator with duties encompassing recruitment, K-12 engineering outreach, and interactions between the team and the university/other organizations. My technical work on the bike has evolved from soldering components onto printed circuit boards to implementing designs to becoming a project captain guiding younger students through testing scenarios.
What prompted you to join the team?
When I was in high school, an automotive maintenance class affirmed my interest in cars and motorcycles so I naturally found my way into the competitive design project groups at the Center of Automotive Research(link is external) (CAR). I actually first joined the Supermileage(link is external) team geared towards women because I was nervous and in general, all the CAR teams were intimidating, but as I walked around the paddock I was drawn to the electric motorcycle and the openness of the group.
What advice can you give young women who would like to work on a tech project?
Find your passion and let it take root, ask questions (A LOT), and commit to the project!
How do you stay up-to-date with the new trends in technology in you field?
NPR(link is external) and Popular Science(link is external) are my homepages every time I open my browser, and on a whim I subscribed to Motorcyclist(link is external) magazine. As a rider, Motorcyclist is my favorite and most applicable form of literature.
Is there any technology that you are particularly excited about right now? Why?
Security and encryption is of particular interest to me in the current event of the Apple-government stand-off(link is external). The intricacy of that technology is fascinating and if I could go back in time, I would definitely choose to focus in computer science engineering instead of electrical engineering! Working on an electric motorcycle is cool, though, so there's no regrets.
What has been your favorite moment/experience from working with Buckeye Current?
I don't think it really hit me that we, the student engineers, are the pit crew during race week until it actually happened. Surrounded by professional riders and pit crews with racing fuel permeating the early morning, being in that moment with all my friends that have worked so hard for this end product was very rewarding.
What has been the hardest part of working on Buckeye Current?
Arranging meaningful and effective time towards projects on the team have always been a challenge around class, work, and other student organizations like the Society of Women Engineers(link is external)and a sorority. My planner at the end of the year is usually bursting at the seams!
This feature blog post is part of our #OSUWomenInTech campaign. Hear more stories from female leaders involved in technology at Ohio State by following us on Twitter @TechHubOSU(link is external)and stopping in store to see our digital signage features. Are you interested in getting involved with technology? Don’t forget to check out our Student Developer Kit(link is external) and student project development grant opportunities.