Tamaro, Courtney

Courtney Tamaro is a Southwestern Virginia local from Roanoke, Virginia. Upon arriving as a freshman engineering student, she was immediately involved in CEED as a member of Hypatia, the women in engineering living-learning community. She remained involved as a second-year Hypatian mentoring first-year students and serving on the service learning committee. Many of her core friendships throughout college grew from the support she found in Hypatia.

Courtney graduated Summa Cum Laude with a dual-degree in both Mechanical Engineering and Spanish. She spent a semester in Madrid, Spain at the University of Antonio de Nebrija where she became fluent in Spanish, completed coursework in global business etiquette, and heightened her interest in international business.

Each year at Virginia Tech, she received various scholarships including a graduate fellowship from the American Association of University Women. With one additional year at the university, Courtney obtained an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering advised by Dr. Doug Nelson. Her graduate work was a continuation of prior work as a member of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT). HEVT is participating in the EcoCAR 3 Competition, which challenges universities to redesign a Chevrolet Camaro to reduce environmental impact without compromising performance. HEVT offers a unique experience: exposure to industry sponsors, hands-on experience, and a team-oriented environment.

As a graduate researcher, she developed a methodology to evaluate the energy consumption for almost any vehicle driving any route. Using a process called “ecorouting”, the most ideal route is selected by weighting relative total energy consumption and travel time. While ecorouting had been applied to conventional vehicles, electrified vehicles were less studied due to the complication of additional components. Her energy tracking methodology was validated to represent conventional vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) including plug-in HEVs.

Outside of academics, you would find Courtney at SalsaTech events either teaching FREE Monday lessons or enjoying the Wednesday Sycamore Deli dances. Further, she was the president of the Appalachia Service Project at Virginia Tech (ASP-VT). She spent a summer organizing volunteers and construction activities for the national non-profit and then brought a chapter to Virginia Tech. ASP-VT performs Habitat for Humanity type work around the New River Valley and is open to new students at any time!

She interned in aerospace as a Quality Engineer supporting Boeing’s 787 final assembly and in petroleum as a Field Engineer for ExxonMobil’s pipeline division. Despite a love to return to either company, Courtney ultimately accepted a full-time position with General Motors where she analyzes multi-body dynamic models to verify early-development suspension durability and performance. The automotive industry is currently in one of the most exciting periods ever at the dawn of autonomous vehicles and Courtney could not be more satisfied with her decision to pursue GM.

“I cannot emphasize the value in maintaining a strong GPA.” says Courtney, “Although extra-curriculars, interview skills, and experience all help, a strong GPA opens doors that would otherwise be closed for both scholarships and internships. Your GPA starts your first semester freshman year. Great opportunities early-on will only allow for amazing full-time opportunities after you graduate.”