Reprinted from the News and Record, South Boston, VA.      

Holley Conner is no stranger to racing, or to Virginia International Raceway (VIR).  The petite brunette began working at the Halifax County raceplex at age 16.  As she tells it, her job allowed her to meet engineers from racing teams which led to her decision to pursue an engineering degree from Virginia Tech.  “Since racing was something I was passionate about, the idea of being an engineer for a race team was very appealing to me. After talking with teachers and family members, I learned that mechanical engineers were needed in lots of other fields as well.”

But it’s motorsports that has Holley’s interest, and she is keen on getting a job with a racing team.  But racing teams want both educated AND experienced engineers, which can be difficult for young college students.  Says Holley, “Even though racing was something I was passionate about, I thought it would be unlikely that I would actually be able to find an internship in Southern Virginia related to motorsports.”  Fortunately for Holley, she was wrong.

At the end of her Freshman year at Tech, Holley learned that the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) was sponsoring an internship program to place college students with area businesses who could offer experience in areas of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  IALR’s motorsports and vehicle performance engineering research center VIPER seemed like a perfect fit.  Holley explains, “When I learned of the internships offered at VIPER, I jumped at the opportunity.”

This summer, Holley will intern at VIPER – which stands for Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research – for the third summer in a row.  If this summer is anything like her last two summers, Holley will gain much sought-after experience involved in a variety of projects related to vehicle performance, that is, getting the most out of the vehicle which, in most of her projects, is an honest-to-goodness racecar.

Last year, Holley learned to operate VIPER’s Roehrig Shock Dyno, one of a group of real-world research tools that gives students hands-on experience. The dyno, according to Holley, is used “to collect force and data for a standard shock.”  Because shock absorbers influence the control and handling characteristics of a vehicle, they are key to racing speed and thus, racing success.  After plotting and analyzing the data, Holley relates that she “developed code…that calculates the total energy generated in a shock after completing a lap around the Charlotte or Richmond racetracks.”  Pretty heady stuff for this would-be racing team engineer.

But there’s lots more. Among the challenging tasks assigned to Holley last summer was assisting VIPER Director Dr. Steve Southward to create computer simulations for a grant proposal for the National Science Foundation.  The project required the intern to use a computer program called Simulink, a software platform that enables users to perform simulation, modeling and analysis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulink Holly explains, “I learned how to use Simulink ….[and] had to implement theories I was taught in a classroom for an actual engineering problem.”  It was just the kind of project interns need to teach them how to apply theoretical knowledge to on-the-job requirements.

Holley’s primary project last summer was to learn to use a computer program called “Bob’s Trackbuilder”, a tool for fabricating racetracks and virtual testing grounds on a computer.  During the course of this project, Holley utilized Google Earth to observe various racetracks and proving grounds and to practice designing new ones.  Says Holley, “Using a three hundred and sixty degree view of VIR, I was able to insert objects in the virtual track model exactly as they exist in real life.”  Phases two and three of the project involved importing tracks into another program called “Racer” and then transferring them to the VIPER Driving Simulator.

These steps involved editing computer files and then synchronizing the files in a group of computers used to run the simulator.  In Holley’s words, “Finally, after these steps were complete, I was able to drive on the tracks I created.  I can’t explain how accomplished I felt once I got the tracks to work on the simulator!”

This is what the program was designed to do, and why the Tobacco Indemnification Commission has provided financial support for the program since 2007.  Participating area businesses also support the program, providing funding to make sure the college interns realize that not only are jobs available in their chosen fields, but that these jobs pay well.  This coming summer, 21 businesses will be hiring 45 interns.  Holley is one of these lucky students.

Commenting on Holley’s continued participation in the program, IALR’s Summer Intern Coordinator Amanda Glenn noted: “Not only is Holley Conner breaking gender barriers as a female in a predominantly male field, she is a prime example of how the Summer Internship Program affords college students the opportunity to gain experience in a discipline related to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) while encouraging young professionals to return to Southern Virginia after they complete their education.”

Nobody knows this better than Holley, who explains, “My experience at VIPER…was amazing.  I enjoyed the variety of projects I worked on and feel that I expanded my problem-solving abilities in a way that can only be done in a work environment.”

That’s one of the important objectives of the IALR Internship Program and, according to Holley Conner, it’s an objective that is being met and then some.

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