Another piece that goes into a positive learning environment is an engaging industry. An industry that is engaged and wanting to see our students learn and succeed. The third component, I believe, of a positive learning environment is a passionate student body and a passionate alumni group that is out there that will continue to support the program. My name is Michael Adamczyk, I'm a senior at SIU.
Graduating May 2013. And right now, currently, I'll be working for General Motors in Service Operations Group. This program enables us gives us a lot of internship opportunities. Vehicle and Lab wise, there's plenty of vehicle to work on.
There's always donations for new vehicles. We got the Chrysler SRT8 300 and various other things. Hi, I'm Jessica Suda I am a graduate of the Automotive Technology Program at SIU. I'm finished with the automotive program.
And I'm in electrical engineering now. I love the scantool diagnostics, electrical systems. How different sensors do different things to affect fuel-trims and I want to be the brains behind it someday. That is my goal.
The role I see industry playing in an educational environment. Is one that, they have to understand that we are trying to develop their future. Their future workforce, their future customers, their future technicians, and their future shop owners. But it's beyond just that, it's also understanding That we are trying to develop people to be their future leaders, their future managers, So, the technicians, the shop owners, the product managers, the product trainers, the marketing managers.
Those are the people that we are developing here at SIU. What excites me about this program is that it's really hands-on. Its something that I can actually go out and use. Me I'm a Kinesthetic learner, so I need to learn through touching things I need to learn through seeing it visually.
In lab, yeah, we definitely had alot of time for hands-on so that way I can put my skills that I've learned in class to practice and we had sufficient time every day to do our lab sheets and learn above and beyond what we wanted to that day. Actually, we were able to work with vehicles, for instance and example is we worked on a Autocross vehicle. And strip the vehicle down was able to repaint it. To make it to a nicer standard.
Since this is a vehicle that we do use on a regular basis. For Autoclub related activities. Being part of a club and especially a club that involves with your major is pretty big. It let's the employer know that you can do things outside of the school and your major and still have a good time.
Some of the alternative fuel projects we've seen so far between Alt (alternative) Fuels class and teachers driving around campus. Mr. Tate has an all electric PT Cruiser that he build. And on top of that, we are trying to make a Miata that is all electric.
And we also had some people from Finland come with an all-electric all-wheel-drive electric race car. That was really fun to see and drive. That was here last year. My Alt Fuels teacher, Blaine Heisner.
He taught us how to make Hydrogen Generators. Which some of the students made to try to increase the fuel mileage on their cars. He also drive a vehicle that burns old and used motor oil. And sometimes trans-fluid.
Depending on what he puts in there. Then Mr. Collard has an old Mercedes Diesel that he runs on waste veggie oil. We have kinda been playing around with that and more hybrid type vehicles.
This new facility is pretty awesome! We've got three alignment racks all in one shop and one bay. And there's two more bays still. I would like to thank the program for driving me to pursuing something that I thought was impossible. I love the fact that you can talk to your professors, give them an idea, and they won't shoot you down and tell you that it's a bad idea.
They'll tell you to work for it. They'll tell you to work towards that idea. Professors in there helped me keep that drive alive. If I were to thank any of them,it'd be, I would thank them for keeping my dream alive.
And keeping me focused on to surpass what I thought would be impossible. And never take "impossible" as an answer. I'm Alvin Lardizabal and SIU has helped me drive my passion. .
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