{"id":7109,"date":"2024-05-06T10:17:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/?p=7109"},"modified":"2024-05-06T10:17:36","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:17:36","slug":"academic-excellence-award-school-of-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2024\/academic-excellence-award-school-of-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic Excellence Award: School of Engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jason Jarosz
Mechanical Engineering, B.S.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jason Jarosz\u2019s engineering education has run the gamut \u2014 from the theoretical and research-based to the hands-on and technical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his four years in the Mechanical Engineering<\/a> program at Dunwoody College of Technology<\/a>, Jarosz has taken advantage of a wide range of opportunities. He\u2019s helped conduct research in the field of ammonia combustion and joined the Baja SAE team that built an off-road vehicle from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s now graduating from Dunwoody with an extensive range of experience \u2014 and a very bright future. He\u2019s also this year\u2019s recipient of the Academic Excellence Award for the School of Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jason Jarosz works on a project in the College’s Machine Shop. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cJason was a fantastic student,\u201d said Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Jonathan Aurand. \u201cDuring his time here, he grew and developed as a person and an engineer. This award is very well deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarosz\u2019s diversified involvement and interests in the engineering field probably isn\u2019t surprising to anyone who knows the 2020 Andover High School graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew I wanted to do something STEM related, but I never had an exact idea of what type of engineering I wanted to do \u2014 or math or accounting,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve always enjoyed engineering. I have a deep appreciation for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when he saw that Mechanical Engineering offered the broadest career options, in a wide-range of fields and industries \u2014 and was more hands-on \u2014 it was an easy choice.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jarosz wires the frame of the BAJA SAE vechicle that he and his teammates designed and created. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until his senior year of high school that Jarosz settled on Dunwoody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came here for a tour and saw that it was really hands-on and that everyone here was passionate about teaching and being of service to the students,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I first started, I wanted to go into the medical industry, then it was HVAC, and then power generation. I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s ever evolving \u2014 and I\u2019ve enjoyed the continuous learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jarosz may be the first member of his family to attend Dunwoody, but he follows a long line of engineers, including his dad, his grandpa, and an uncle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad has been such an inspiration to me,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is always pushing me to learn \u2014 to be curious about the world and how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That curiosity is probably why he was selected to assist Professor Daniel Thomas with a research project on ammonia combustion. It was an experience that culminated in a conference at Texas A&M University to present some of their research. They will also travel to Case Western Reserve University to share their research in early May.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Jarosz, left, conducts research on ammonia combustion with Associate Professor Daniel Thomas. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That same curiosity is also how Jarosz got involved in the SAE Baja team for his senior capstone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Baja SAE, the project challenges engineering students to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain and in some competitions, water. Each team’s goal is to design and build a prototype of an all-weather, rugged, single-seat, off-road recreational vehicle intended for sale to the nonprofessional weekend off-road enthusiast.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Jarosz test drives the recreational off-road vehicle he helped design and build. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Working with the Dunwoody team, Jarosz took on the role of designing and building the drivetrain components. The vehicle, which the team built from the ground up, was put to the test at the end of April when they traveled to the desert in California for the Baja SAE race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were a lot of ups and downs, but it was a really good learning experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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