From circuit boards to EcoCAR, Loyd’s passion for engineering remains strong

Posted: 

After six years at The Ohio State University and as a member of the EcoCAR team, Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student, Kerri Loyd, will be heading to Detroit, MI to join the team at General Motors in their TRACK rotational program, starting in the High Voltage Connectors group.

Loyd’s love of engineering started long before she became a Buckeye. “My dad has always been a hands-on person, and my love for working on stuff came from him,” said Loyd. “Growing up, we always did everything ourselves. We never took our cars to the dealership (unless it was a warranty issue!) and we do a lot of woodworking and electrical projects ourselves.  One large project we completed was replacing the transmission in my old Honda Accord!” 

Her interest in electrical engineering, specifically, started when she was 13 and received an electrical engineering circuit board kit for Christmas. “My dad and I would work on this whenever we found time, and this definitely sparked my interest in the field of electrical engineering,” said Loyd.

Loyd (third from right) with members of the EcoCAR 3 team

Loyd joined the EcoCAR team after a friend recommended the program to her freshman year, and she quickly became hooked!

The team was in the middle of Year Two of the EcoCAR 3 competition and was busy building the Camaro. Loyd joined the electrical team and by week two she was building wiring harnesses.

“Being a freshman and not having any prior experience, it was so awesome getting thrown into this type of work my 2nd week on the team, I loved it,” said Loyd.

Loyd’s involvement with EcoCAR grew when she was asked to take over as Electrical Team Lead and, most recently, as Engineering Manager, providing her with additional experience and an understanding of the business aspects of the team.

“Find something that you’re interested in and run with it,” is the advice Loyd would give to incoming students. “Get super involved in one group rather than be involved in a bunch of small groups that you’re barely breaking the surface on.”

Kerri Loyd working on car

Being on the EcoCAR team provided Loyd not only with hands on engineering experience, but also helped prepare her for her career. “Having a meaningful project to talk about is a great resume builder,” said Loyd. “I also really enjoyed participating in CAR tours and outreach opportunities. It’s something I never thought I’d be doing but it’s been fun and helped me improve my public speaking skills over the years.”

During her six years at Ohio State, Loyd spent two summers interning with FIAT Chrysler and one with Ford. She was also the recipient of the 2018 GM Women in Engineering Rookie Award given to an undergraduate student demonstrating outstanding promise, technical excellence and accomplishments through the EcoCAR automotive engineering program.

Loyd receiving WiE award

“Receiving this award meant a lot to me because it was great recognition for all of the hard work that I have dedicated towards the EcoCAR program as well as towards the development of my career in the field of engineering,” said Loyd.

When asked what her favorite part of being on the EcoCAR team was, coming up with an answer was easy. “My favorite part of EcoCAR is the people I get to work with. We all come from very diverse backgrounds, different majors and different cultures,” said Loyd. “We have so many people on the team from other countries and it’s so cool becoming friends with them and getting to learn about and participate in their traditions. One holiday we always celebrate is Holi, the festival of colors and it’s really fun to get to experience that!”

 

 

Categories: StudentsEcoCAR