August 8, 2022

Sophie Benmore is a rising junior in Systems Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She is an Illinois native and spent the summer as a data analytics intern at Argonne National Laboratory.

During her internship, Sophie worked with Armani Hrobowski, Advanced Mobility Outreach & Education Technical Specialist, Sustainable Transportation Education & Partnerships (STEP). The overall goal of Sophie’s internship was to measure the impact of the EcoCAR program on students’ ability to gain employment and command a competitive salary in their first job. This data will help to show future students and sponsors the benefits of being a part of the program.

“My work as an intern centered around analyzing data on EcoCAR Mobility Challenge and the participant student outcomes as well as demographics,” said Sophie. “I utilized Python to compile, parse through, and create visuals from the data provided by participating students.

Sophie discovered that 77% of EcoCAR undergraduates were successful in their attempt to land an internship or co-op. Companies such as General Motors and other original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) employ the greatest number of EcoCAR graduates, indicating a large interest of the automotive industry in graduates as well as interest from aerospace and technology industries.

In addition, Sophie was able to generate the following conclusions from data provided by EcoCAR students:

• 276 different companies hired an EcoCAR student during the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge
• Automotive companies are the #1 employer of EcoCAR students
• On average, EcoCAR students earn $5-10k more in their first job compared to their non-EcoCAR peers
• EcoCAR students impact multiple industry sectors across North America

This research points toward EcoCAR having a positive impact on students and their employment opportunities. The mission of EcoCAR is to prepare students to enter the workforce with automotive problem-solving skills, and results of this data analysis shows that EcoCAR does allow for even more successful opportunities than non-EcoCAR university students.

“I learned so much more about Python coding and specifically creating visuals,” said Sophie. “I also learned a lot about how EcoCAR teams operate and the work that goes on behind the scenes.”

Outside of her internship, Sophie enjoyed visiting the city with her fellow interns, attending celebrations such as the pride parade, and learning about other cultures. Overall, her favorite part about the internship was meeting people from all over the country.