Student Profile
Matt Marchiando

Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering '10

Matt Marchiando has been watching his father work on cars for years. Coming from such a background, he discovered early that he was mechanically inclined and has always enjoyed working on cars. It seems a natural progression that Marchiando would explore his expertise and interests academically, choosing to major as a mechanical engineer at the University of California, Davis, after exploring the campus and finding that he liked the program.

Since coming to Davis, Marchiando has enhanced his skills and knowledge both in and outside the classroom. Through classes like vehicle design, as well as his senior design project on an intake manifold, Marchiando has acquired the tools and theories he needs to achieve his dream of becoming a racing engineer for a NASCAR team. But he says he gained most of his practical knowledge as a part of Formula SAE, a team that designs and prototypes a racecar for competition.

As a member of Formula SAE, Marchiando has logged countless hours in the student shop, a resource unique to UC Davis. “The engineering student shop has complete student access, with help from graduate students and staff. Every student must complete a tutorial before working in the shop, teaching them the basics of tool use and safety.” Marchiando and other students use the shop to complete projects for classes as well as for design competitions.

As he nears graduation, Marchiando is already paving his own way and working to achieve his dreams. He engineers and races his own car on a dirt track back home in Goleta, CA. In the summer of 2008, he won a highly coveted internship as an engineer with the Red Bull NASCAR team. Marchiando has achieved success as a student at UC Davis and hopes to continue in that direction as he races toward his dreams.