In her sophomore year, King-Morgridge Scholar Fiona Uwase joined Badger Solar Racing at UW-Madison, a student organization that designs and races solar-powered cars. Now, as the High Voltage Team Lead, she is responsible for developing and refining critical systems to improve their car’s performance. Her major accomplishments include designing a custom fan interface to enhance battery cooling. Initially, their setup had only one connector to power and control multiple fans, which limited their cooling capabilities. Fiona developed a solution by creating schematics, designing a custom PCB in Altium Designer, simulating the system in LTSpice, and thoroughly testing the final board. This new interface now effectively manages each fan, ensuring stable and efficient cooling for their battery system.
In Summer 2024, she dedicated over 40 hours to populating essential backup boards, including the Powertrain board, Maximum Power Point Tracking board, Array Switch, and Low Voltage board, all crucial for their performance at the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2024 in Kentucky. Competing in Kentucky was a transformative experience. It was incredible to see the innovative designs from other schools, inspiring new ideas for their team as they work on Solar Car 2.0. This exposure has shaped her approach and motivated her to incorporate new techniques as she designs the powertrain board for their next-generation car.
Beyond the technical work, Fiona’s journey with Badger Solar Racing has taught her so much more than she could have learned in a classroom. Through hands-on experience, she’s gained proficiency in Altium Designer, learned to create detailed schematics, and developed an in-depth understanding of critical electrical components like MOSFETs, BJTs, and many more. By the time these topics came up in class, she could approach them with confidence and a deep understanding. These experiences have shown her the value of practical application, reinforcing her commitment to sustainable engineering.
“Working with Badger Solar Racing has fueled my passion for clean energy technology, teamwork, and continuous learning. It’s been an incredible journey, and I hope our story can inspire others to pursue innovation in renewable energy,” Fiona shared. She also reflected on the impact of the King-Morgridge Scholars Program on her journey: “It allowed me to pursue my education in the U.S. and opened doors to various opportunities, including the chance to join Badger Solar Racing and work with talents from different backgrounds.”
Looking ahead, Fiona is excited about her plans for the Spring 2025 semester. She was selected to do her engineering co-op at Tesla in Austin, Texas. Fiona encourages King-Morgridge scholars and other students to participate in different activities. As Fiona noted, “You never know when the activities you do will lead to a job or internship opportunity.”