The Auto Industry Workshop has been held for the past three Mondays in Ms. McMillin’s room (5202) from 3:30 – 4:20 PM after school. It will be held a few more times moving forward, with each section briefly summarizing his previous sessions and touching on new interesting topics about cars, their structures, engines, and designs. The workshop’s instructor is Mr. Mekhitarian who was a former principal. He actively participates in racecar contests and owns several rare and unique cars.
During these meetings, Mr. Makhitarian talks about the interior and exterior of cars and how they benefit the car by making it faster and safer to drive. Specifically, he talked quite a bit about the engines of cars and their location. He described how different engines worked, sounded like, benefited, and might negatively affect the car and its safety. He explained that the area of the engine would either help the car or make itthe car more dangerous, a front engine being the safest option.
In the workshop, we also spent some time talking about some of the specific companies and cars, how they differ, and their history. He explained how one of these car companies under the name of Lamborghini, began with a feud. He talked about what companies were known for, like how the car companies were known for being the only car companies to use a type of engine or to create a car to look a certain way. He explained why the exterior of specific cars, new and old, caused them to be highly anticipated or not.
This workshop also helps explain the science behind cars, specifically how different parts of the car work. The teacher explained that the engine uses compression, a constantly rotating crankshaft, and most importantly air. Mr. Mekhitarian also touched on how brakes work, which he argues is one of the most fundamental parts of racing. He explained the distribution of the car, its weight, and how that impacted how the car moved. The lighter a car is, the faster it is going to move, which is why many race car drivers try to make their cars as light as possible.
Mr. Mekhitarian also demonstrates and shows, through whiteboard drawings, videos, animations, and car images, how cars work or look which helps visual learners. While explaining engines and how complex they are he showed us an animation about the cycle or four steps of the engine. He showed us photos of cars and how they have changed over time, including his own photos of his car.
This workshop goes in-depth about the science and technology of cars, which can be quite interesting for car enthusiasts. Since there are also explanations and demonstrations, this workshop can also be for people who want to learn more about cars and how each part helps the cars that we use every day to do their job.
