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The people who make it happen
The people who make it happen
Read below about the people who run the event and how they can help you
Name: Clint Steele
Role: Chair of the Victorian branch
Background: A professional mechanical engineer who has worked in automotive, electric vehicles, academia, mining equipment, consulting, water products, and medical products. Always in design and also published a book on global engineering skill development. He also tutors high school students in maths and science, and runs a dance studio - Destine Dance - in the evenings.
Ways he can help: Embedding the MSVC into your curriculum for maximum educational benefit. Getting parents involved to make implementation of the challend at your school easier.
How to contact him: csteele@modelsolar.org.au
Name: Imogen Forsyth
Role: Vice Chair of the Victorian Branch
Background: Mechanical Engineer currently working in the automotive industry, with previous experience in the water industry. Contributed to Deakin University's ASCEND World Solar Challenge vehicle. Participated in the junior boat competition as a primary school student. Has worked closely with primary schools in the past to introduce model solar boats as a curriculum-based project and run inter-school competitions.
Ways she can help: Provide both in person and virtual support for schools or individuals wanting to get involved.
How to contact her: iforsyth@modelsolar.org.au
Name: Ian Gardner
Role: Treasurer for the VMSVC, committee member for over 29 years and mentor to students at SSPS and BHHS for most of this time.
Background: Retired professional engineer (Mechanical) with over 2 decades experience in a production factory, engaged in military, aerospace and commercial work. During this time worked in the areas of forging and heat treatment mainly of ferrous metals, machining, plant and process design and middle management positions.
Ways he can help: My involvement in the VMSV has been mainly with the Wellington student design car. I have collaborated with Scorpio Technology for many years, helping in the development of components for all the vehicles involved in our competition, Wellington cars, Sheridan kit car and boats. I am the author of a design guide for Wellington cars and co-author of the mathematical simulation for the Wellington car. Both these documents are available on the web site.
How to contact him: ianvgardner@gmail.com
Name: Paul Wellington OAM
Role: Committee Member the Victorian branch, National Committee Rep and Challenge Founder
Background: While lecturing on engineering materials and manufacturing in the 1980s at the then Chisholm Institute of Technology (subsequently the Caulfield campus of Monash University), he led teams of engineering students and staff in a fuel efficiency competition, the Mileage Marathon in which one of their cars achieved 1000km/litre. He then went on to lead the Chisholm team in the 1987 World Solar Challenge, the race from Darwin to Adelaide for solar powered cars in which their car, the Desert Cat, finished 6th of 24 starters. Based on the educational benefits of this event, he, in conjunction with Ted Mellor, coordinator of the Warragul Technical School’s WSC entry, started the Victorian Model Solar Car Challenge which was first held in 1990, with the Boat Challenge starting 4 years later. Paul was a recent recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, for his service to science education.
Ways he can help: Advice on how to best manage a team for success. Insight into the key skills students need to be winners. Knowledge on how the challenge guides students into future careers.
How to contact him: paul.wellington419@gmail.com
Paul is a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, for his service to science education.
Name: Luke Stonehouse-Melke
Role: Committee Member of the Victorian branch
Background: Having competed in 4 years of the Model Solar Challenge in the Student Designed Car category winning at the State Level as well as a podium position at the National Level, he is now a student at Monash University studying Mechanical Engineering.
Ways he can help: Supporting student leaders with setting up a team in school.
How to contact him: lstonehousemelke@modelsolar.org.au
Name: Jenny Longstaff
Role: Committee Member of the Victorian branch
Background: Jenny Longstaff has been a member of the Committee since 2004 when she first saw the solar cars being raced around a track at Federation square. As a physics and chemistry teacher at Leongatha Secondary College at the time, Jenny was excited to get the event into her classroom.
Over the years Jenny has filled many roles within the committee including Secretary and Admin and loves to help organise everyone and being part for the yearly events.
Today, as well as being a member of the committee, she is also the Managing Director of Melbourne Building Management - an important supporter of the challenge
Don Sheridan
Don Sheridan
Late in 2015 one of the members of the VMSVC Association passed away.
Don Sheridan, a beloved and long-term member of the association, passed away in late November 2015 after a long, and unfortunately protracted, battle with cancer.
Don was the man behind the conception, design and production of the Kit Car division of the VMSVC events. Over the years he worked tirelessly and productively to hone the initial idea into a kit that suitable for entry level participants to the model solar challenge. Not only was he the man behind he was also the mentor up front. Many people and organisations have benefited from a visit from Don when they were undertaking the construction of the kit.
Each year at the scienceworks event Don was on hand to help scrutineer the kit cars and to help run the event. It was noted that "His friendly face and warm interaction with the kids on race day was always a welcome bonus in a busy day".
His engineering background included, the construction of the first Dynamic Wheel Balancer for Repco, he was also involved in the Repco-Brabam F1 race car team. When working at the Telstra Research Laboratories his duties included managing the section whose work provided ground breaking developments that resulted in the creation and implementation of the world renowned Cochlea Ear implant.
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