As a calibration technician at General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan,
Benning is responsible for making sure the instrumentation put on test vehicles to
measure everything from acceleration to air pressure to fuel consumption is working
correctly.
In fact, she’s been asked to lead a group of specialists to develop a new standard
for calibration intervals that will be used on all GM vehicle test equipment – over
80,000 pieces of equipment – used at the Proving Grounds. This includes equipment
used to develop the next generation of electric and autonomous vehicles.
“With the new electric vehicles coming out, we have a lot of new equipment that has
to meet the new standards set by National Conference of Standards Laboratories International
(NCSLI),” Benning said of the global, non-profi t organization that sets world standards
for scientifi c test and measurement equipment. “It’s also interesting how different
the instrumentation is for autonomous vehicles. There are sensors for anything you
can think of from seeing in front, to the temperature, to humidity, to pressure outside.”
After contemplating other four-year institutions, Benning chose WCC after graduating
from Chelsea High School in part because she earned a President’s Honor Scholarship.
WCC annually offers five President’s Honor Scholarships to graduating seniors from
each public high school in Washtenaw County.
“That was the kicker,” Benning said. “I was thinking of going to WCC just because
smaller class sizes were really crucial for me. I really like one-on-one interaction
and the freedom to ask any questions I want and have my questions answered by someone
who is very knowledgeable, not just a teaching assistant.”
Not long after starting at WCC, she was connected to General Motors. Benning answered
an email from WCC Experiential Learning Coordinator Barb Hauswirth regarding three
internship positions at GM Proving Grounds that were being off ered to WCC math and
science majors.
“At first, I wasn’t sure if I should apply,” says Benning. “But I got my application
together and had two really good interviews. My manager says that I was selected because
I had already taken several calculus courses, as well as diff erential equations.”
“I feel like WCC prepared me really well,” continued Benning, who earned a General
Math and Natural Science associate degree from WCC. “The hardest thing for a lot of
students in engineering is calculus and with the personalized help I got at WCC, it
not only encouraged me to keep going for my engineering degree, but also put it in
my mind that I might want to teach at the community college level. In engineering,
math is so important. Everything builds on calculus.”
Along with her full-time job, Benning is currently completing two bachelor’s degrees
at Oakland University, in mechanical engineering and actuarial science. She says the
transition from being a full-time student to being a full-time student with a full-time
job was challenging but rewarding.
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