Opportunity to Work with Record Breaking Vehicle Drew D’Arpino to CAR

Matilde D’Arpino was first drawn to the Center for Automotive Research and the Buckeye Bullet team when she met CAR’s Director Giorgio Rizzoni, at a conference in Florence Italy.

"Professor Rizzoni spoke about the challenges of designing a high-powered land speed record vehicle,” said D’Arpino. “It was really interesting to learn about the R&D opportunity in power electronics and vehicle control and pushed me to leave Cassino, Italy and spend a summer at CAR working with the Buckeye Bullet team.” 

A single summer turned into more than three years at CAR where she is now a senior research associate specializing in electrical systems and vehicle technologies. “As a researcher, I enjoy model, design and optimization systems and components. Working at CAR gives me the ability to implement, integrate and test my research products in a real-world environment,” said D’Arpino. 

Additionally, D’Arpino stays involved with what brought her to CAR in the first place - the Venturi Buckeye Bullet. She has collaborated with and supervised several of the students on the team and says that it has been an amazing experience for both professional and personal growth. “I had the chance to apply my knowledge in power electronics and energy management to this special vehicle and the vehicle improvement allowed us to set a land speed record of 341 miles per hour!” she said.