02/20/2025
BWC Merced had the pleasure of hosting our Stellantis mentors Ashley Balaberda and Brian Spohn for a two-day visit, strengthening our partnership under the Battery Workforce Challenge initiative.
The visit began at , meeting with Dr. Ashlie Martini, Chair of Mechanical Engineering, and Dr. Ricardo de Castro, UC Merced Faculty Advisor. Brian had the opportunity to visit the 3D printing room to see the available resources, though we are not utilizing that facility at this time. He also toured CastroLab, where the core software and hardware development for our BWC projects is taking place. Mentors met with team leads and had a fruitful meeting on the ex*****on of deliverables.
On the second day, Mentors visited Castle facility, where Brian met the team including Merced Community College District Faculty Advisor Jose Martinez and demonstrated the working of cells in a battery pack using inert cells provided by Samsung. This was followed by a visit to Merced Community College , where they had an engaging discussion with students and toured the college’s facilities.
The visit concluded with a team dinner, reflecting on the progress made and future goals. Grateful for the support and guidance from our mentors as we continue driving innovation in battery systems.
