The Executive - Spring 2015

UA senior Kaylie Crosby scribbles some last minute notes as her Thursday afternoon meeting begins. Joining her around the table are engineering leaders, communication leaders and faculty advisers. Their weekly EcoCar3 meeting has begun and, as usual, there is much to discuss. Crosby, a student majoring in mechanical engineering, is the project leader of a prestigious, national competition.

EcoCar3 planning began in April 2014 as The University of Alabama was 1 of 16 universities selected to participate in the competition for advanced vehicle technology sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy. The task: to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to reduce its environmental impact while keeping the “muscle” of the car intact. The car is scheduled to be delivered to UA in the fall of 2015. Teams have four years, 2014–18, to complete the car’s redesign. In the meantime, deadlines must be met.

“Kaylie has done an outstanding job of managing all of the moving pieces involved in this competition,” says Dr.

Rob Morgan, STEM Path to the MBA
director. “She has worked with a group
of team leaders — other students
who manage smaller pieces of the
project — to make sure that the large
quantity of deliverables, expected by
the sponsor, is delivered on time. She
is a great communicator and has very
strong interpersonal skills. She has
done a great job of organizing all of
the requirements of the project and
the schedule for getting the work done.
Finally, she has shown nothing but
confidence while under a tremendous
amount of pressure.”
The Katy, Texas, native began her time
in the STEM Path to the MBA program
as a freshman and all of her hard work
has led up to this moment: serving as
the project manager for the EcoCar3
competition. Upon graduating in May
2015, Crosby will pass her knowledge
and notes on to the next project leader.

“I’ve never done anything like this
before,” Crosby admits. “I am interested
in project management in the automotive
industry and that’s where STEM and
this competition specifically have been
most beneficial. It allows me to use
both the technical parts of my education
as well as the business background to
accomplish different things.”
Crosby manages three different
teams working on the project. The
engineering team houses four
subgroups: mechanical, technical,
electrical and control. The
communications team is responsible
for publicity, and the management team
writes business plans and helps keep
everyone on the same timeline. Faculty
advisers help the students successfully
complete the competition.

“I think that we will have an advantage in the makeup of our teams,” Morgan says. “I know that the STEM Path to the MBA students, like Kaylie and Jim Krafcik, will have an advantage over engineering students from other schools' teams in that Kaylie and Jim also have business backgrounds. They understand the bigger picture. I looked for students who I knew had a strong work ethic and interpersonal skills first. Once that was established, we looked at knowledge of the technical area involved.”