Kathie Jin, a junior in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), likes to go fast. As the mechanical co-lead and operations lead for Penn Electric Racing (PER), a Formula SAE Electric Racing team, Jin leads a group of 80 students to design, build, and race electric cars. PER is a record-breaking team that competes across the country, and Jin views it as so much more than an extracurricular activity: it’s her passion.
“When I arrived [at Penn], I had no idea what Penn Electric Racing was. I was looking for a tight-knit team, fast-paced work, hard deadlines and the ability to work from the conception of an idea to actualizing it. PER embodied everything I wanted in a college club.”
As an active leader, Jin does everything from mentoring incoming team members to building by hand to organizing the group’s participation in national competitions. In 2019, PER took third place overall at the Formula SAE Lincoln Electric competition in Lincoln, Nebraska. But, Jin says, these sweeping wins take a lot of work, and the journey from bright idea to gold medal starts in the classroom.
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