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At OHIO, alumni support is transforming student experiences across campus, from labs to the stage. One exciting avenue donors can direct their giving to is experiential learning funds, which assist students in gaining hands-on experience in their fields.

“Experiential education is one of the cornerstones of President Lori Stewart Gonzalez’s Dynamic Strategy,” says Greg Simmons, vice president for University Advancement and president and CEO of The Ģ����Ƶ University Foundation. “Philanthropic support significantly increases the likelihood that students can engage in invaluable, hands-on experiences where they can put theory to action, develop critical leadership skills, and prepare for meaningful careers upon graduation.”

The Russ College Bobcat Baja Project Support Fund, which launched during , is just one example of the many experiential learning funds that donors may back. Its beneficiary, the , is a student organization that designs, engineers and pilots an off-road vehicle for the annual (Society of Automotive Engineers) competition.

The Bobcat team, which has more than 40 members, aims to create an interdisciplinary and inclusive environment that gives students the opportunity to collaboratively apply their scientific and creative knowledge gained in the classroom in a fun, real-world scenario.

During the engineering process, the team must show that they defined a specific design problem, set goals and requirements, and effectively designed a vehicle that met those needs. They use CAD software to create models and run simulations, then manufacture and build the vehicle, a buggy, in order to test the design in the real world and finalize it for competition.

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“At the competition, we bring a lot of documentation of our design and everything we have prepared,” says Alec Sebrell, team president. “It’s not just putting something together and calling it a day; there’s actual engineering. The competition is our chance to show what we’ve learned.” Now a senior studying electrical engineering, Sebrell was a member of the team that took home first place in the sled pull category of the May 2023 Baja SAE competition.

The support fund, through which the team raised about $2,700 this year, allows more members of the team to attend the competition and see their hard work pay off, compared to years past.

“That [amount] will take about nine more people with us, so we’re super excited to see that,” Sebrell says. “We’ll be able to take almost everybody who wants to go to competition.”

The fund also supports the preparation that the team is doing over the summer, such as holding “work weekends” for students to help construct the team’s buggy. After completing the frame in the spring, summer projects include attaching the engine, steering, suspension and other components.

Jacob Mizer, a senior studying mechanical engineering and treasurer of the Bobcat Baja team, notes the importance of the Russ College Bobcat Baja Project Support Fund and Russ Vision Funds—another philanthropic avenue for donors—to the Bobcat Baja team.

“[Donors have] allowed Bobcat Baja to continue to provide the hands-on learning experiences … that allow our members to both apply their classroom knowledge as well as develop the foundational manufacturing knowledge needed to become better engineers,” he says. 

Support this fund at , and find other experiential learning opportunities at ohio.edu/experiential.

Feature photo: Donor support for experiential learning funds at OHIO helps provide hands-on educational opportunities for students, like those on the Bobcat Baja SAE team. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02