Tonight the team accepted the second round of members into the Core Group.

The UMSolar Core Group is comprised of the team's most driven and involved members, dedicated to achieving the team’s vision while upholding a positive culture and atmosphere. Core members are selected to this exclusive group for their initiative in furthering their own knowledge, participating actively in team events, contributing to a championship-caliber team, and maintaining personal qualities of the highest order. The Core Group demands great levels of commitment and ingenuity to achieve success. In return for their efforts, Core Group members will receive unparalleled benefits and opportunities from the team.

In addition to filling out a detailed application, the students accepted to the Core Group fulfilled divisional requirements and demonstrated a strong commitment and passion to their division leader.

We were impressed by the number of applicants to the Core Group, and would like to thank all of those who applied.

Infinium 2009 Core Group members:

Executive Committee
Alex Dowling, Strategy Director
Chris Hilger, Sourcing Director
John Federspiel, Engineering Director
Julia Hawley, Business Director
Steven Hechtman, Project Manager

Engineering Division
Adolphus Lim
Akihiro Suzuki
Apoorva Bansal
Brian Whitney
Chris Verga
Deeana Ijaz
Dylan Reitzel
Eric Relson
Ethan Stark
Gabriel Arroyo
Jeremy Nash
Jonathan McNutt
Kapil Sawlani
Kevin Zhang
Lokesh Janarthanam
Matt Van Eck
Sam Haberl
Scott Coblitz
Shivang Naik
Shoichiro Suzuki
Sudeep Rohatgi
Tanya Das
Ted Goldstein
Tom Fick
Ying Yi Lim
Zhaori Cong

Business Division
Anthony Chen
Blaine Riley
Brian Pak
Demian Lee
Jyo Sinha
Kevin Yeh
Maria Lee
Philip Kim
Sarah Avellar
Shreyas Hirekhan
Steve Durbin

Operations Division
Ethan Lardner
Nancy Tseng
Rachel Unger

Strategy Division
Aubrey da Cunha
Josh Feldman
Santosh Kumar

Two Fridays ago, myself and a group of my teammates went to a local corn maze to relax and enjoy the fall season. Below are some pictures from the visit:

Over the summer months a small group spent countless hours in the Wilson Center conference room developing goals and dreams in order to create a unique image for the Infinium project. Looking at past teams for inspiration, we created a mission and vision statement that reflected the specific goals we were determined to accomplish. These meetings set the stage for the entire project. We challenged ourselves to think outside of the usual solar car standards to create a project that went beyond solar racing. This is how the image for the Infnium project was born.

Motto: Infinium 2009: No Limit

We wanted the team motto to be something inspirational, something that encouraged everyone not only to challenge themselves to be the best, but to be better than the best. We wanted each person on the team to embody the idea that when you absolutely dedicate yourself, anything is possible.

Vision: To be the best solar car team in the world, leading in performance and innovation.

We want to be the team that is known for creative innovations. A team that thrives under pressure and is never satisfied until our goals are met or exceeded. We will never take “no” as an answer.


Mission: The University of Michigan Solar Car Team is comprised of the most talented and driven members of the University from a wide array of disciplines. By developing the best traits within each student, these individuals unite as a team in pursuit of unprecedented excellence. The team implements cutting-edge technology and creative innovations to produce and race a world-class solar car. Extending beyond racing, the team reaches out to the local, national, and international communities. Through partnership with the best companies and individuals, the team's internal strength translates into external success, driving it to be the best solar car program in the world.

Break down by section:

1. “…the most talented and driven members of the University…”
With the ambitious goal of taking first in the World Solar Challenge, we knew that we had our work cut out for us and we were going to need a stellar team in order to build the best car possible and win the World Championship. We looked for the best and the brightest students at the University in order to build the strongest team.

2. “By developing the best traits within each student…”
This is one of the most important parts of the Mission Statement, a new commitment to the students on the team. We took a hard look at the history of the Solar Car project and found that where many of the past teams broke down was lack of support for the students involved. The Solar Car project is almost impossible to pull off. Each project cycle, there is a group of students on the team that dedicate their lives to the project and make a promise to themselves and their teammates that they won’t stop until the project succeeds. It is because of these students that the project is where it is today, but the team takes a lot out of them. Balancing school and other responsibilities while putting in anywhere from 50-100 hours a week, is not a small feat. This year we are making an effort to support these students academically, professionally, and give them a support system. The Solar Car Team now has study hours, professional development such as resume reviews, communication and behavioral training sessions, and guest speakers, as well as team bonding events to create a stronger community within the team.

3. “…cutting edge technology…”
This goes back to the vision statement. In order to win the world race, we are going to have to make sure we are always thinking outside of the box and making sure that we are using the best technology and cultivating creativity within the members of the team.

4. “…the team reaches out to local, national, and international communities…”
The Infinium project wants to have a bigger commitment to the community. We are well aware that our project would not be possible without the help from many generous people and we want to make sure that we are giving back. We wish to teach the public about alternative energy and engineering and to inspire people to “think green.”

5. “….partnership with the best companies and individuals…”
This project is only possible because of the incredible support it gets from people all over the world. Without our sponsors, alumni, and fans, there is no way we would be the most successful solar car team in North America. Even the dream of winning the World Solar Challenge would not be possible without each person who has donated time, money, or resources to this project. Thank you!

Infinium 2009: No Limit.

Go Fast, Go Smooth, Go Blue!