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Welcome to the McMaster Chem-E-Car Team!
This is the official website for the Chem-E-Car team at McMaster University. On McMaster Chem-E-Car, students will design, build, test, and troubleshoot a chemical-fueled car that must move to a specific unknown distance announced the day of the competition. Each year the team competes at Regionals in their respective school bracket and have the opportunity to advance to the Annual National Chem-E-Car Competition (ASC), coordinated by the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE).
The team runs primarily under the supervision of the Chemical Engineering faculty but is open to all undergraduate engineering streams at McMaster University. We pride ourselves on our team's diversity and achievements, and we promote school spirit and a sense of community. Please take a look through our website to learn more about who we are and what we do!
WHAT IS CHEM-E-CAR?
The goal of this competition is to chemically power a car to a line set at a known distance from the starting point while carrying a certain amount of water. This car must be able to fit into a shoe box when disassembled and must be solely powered via chemical reaction. The team with the car that stops closest to the chosen distance wins! For more about the competition, click here.
ABOUT OUR TEAM
Our team is divided into four subteams: Propulsion, Braking, Mechanical, and Circuitry. Hover over each subteam to learn more about its role and responsibilities!
Circuitry Team
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Automate the starting and stopping mechanisms of the car
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Code and wire the car to log data
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Design a sensor system that samples chemical reactions to assist with the stopping mechanism
Mechanical Team
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Design and build the body of the car that holds and transports the reaction
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Organize the car's reaction, power, controller, and wiring components
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Maintain the car's physical stability and performance
Propulsion Team
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Design the sole chemical energy source that will adequately power the car (battery, fuel cell, combustion engine)
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Thoroughly test and develop a chemical reaction must be simple, quick to assemble, and safe
Braking Team
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Design and implement a chemical-based stopping mechanism for the car.
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Calculating a calibration curve and equation that will translate to using exact concentrations for competition day
MEET OUR EXECUTIVES
Co-President
Aithihya Kompella

Hi! I'm Aithihya, I'm in my last semester of electrical engineering, and I'm so excited to be a co-president for Chem-E Car this year! Over the years, I've done an electrical internship at a building engineering firm called Introba, and 2 co-op terms at IMAX as a hardware engineering intern, even helping build a new IMAX film camera for Christopher Nolan. In my free time, I love spending time outside, hiking, watching movies and TV shows, and I've recently picked up playing the guitar! A fun fact about me is that I have a boat license, but I've never operated a boat before. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or by email (kompella@mcmaster.ca)!
Co-President
Jay Botham

Hey I'm Jay! I am super excited to be the Co-President of Chem-E-Car this year in my 5th and final year of Chemical & Bioengineering. I am passionate about sustainability and can't wait to see and work on the technologies that engineers come up with to help the planet. When I'm not designing and building chemically-powered cars, you can find me enjoying the outdoors, especially through camping and hiking. Feel free to DM me or email me at bothamj@mcmaster.ca if you have any questions or want to chat :)
Co-Safety Officer
Gloria Cimpu

Hi everyone! I’m Gloria and am heading into my 4th year of Chem & iBiomed. I’m passionate about research, especially working on 3D printed bio-implants for drug delivery. Outside of academics, I love hiking and outdoor sports like kayaking. Feel free to reach out on Instagram if you have any questions!
Co-Safety Officer
Khushi Narayanan

Hey! My name is Khushi and I am going in my final year of chemical engineering and bioengineering! I love to read and a fun fact about me is that I have rewatched modern family over 10x. If you have any questions please free to reach out to me on Instagram or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Propulsion Co-Lead
Sally Lau

Hi! I’m Sally and I’m in my 3rd year of chemical and bioengineering. I like baking and doing my own nails. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, LinkedIn or my email (laus35@mcmaster.ca)!
Propulsion Co-Lead
Isaac Hammer
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Hi I'm Isaac, a 4th year Chemical Engineering and Management student. Outside of school I love to golf, play hockey and play guitar. If you have any questions about the propulsion team please feel free to DM me on Instagram @isaac.hammer or email me at hammeri@mcmaster.ca!
Circuitry Co-Lead
Shyavan Sridhar

Hi there! My name is Shyavan and I'm going into my 5th year of Engineering Physics. I just finished a co-op as a 1P13 IAI this past year. I enjoy working on large projects in groups and love a good challenge that stumps me! I'm also avidly interested in quantum physics, coding, and biology and want to pursue research and teaching. As a hobby, I also enjoy tinkering with electronics and fixing anything broken to give them new life as well as making things with 3D printing and I have a lot of random projects on my Printables and GitHub (ShyavanS if you want to check them out)! Aside from that, I also enjoy reading about Middle-Earth, LEGO, playing violin, and the Ratchet & Clank and Sly Cooper video games. A fun fact about me is that I'm missing both my gallbladder and almost all of my large intestine, but I have 3D printed myself a replica of the former using a CT scan! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message on Discord (shyavans) or send me an email through shyavans@gmail.com.
Circuitry Co-Lead
Emili Gouvitch

Hi! my name is Emili (she/her), I am on my last year of mechatronics and am very excited about being a Chem-E-car circuitry co-lead! I love being out in nature, hanging out with my dog, listening to musicals and watching anything related to Marvel or Star Wars. My fun fact is that I collect both Funko pops and postcards. Please feel free to reach me on Instagram or at gouvitce@mcmaster.ca :)
Braking Co-Lead
Kyle St Louis

Hello, my Name is Kyle St. Louis, I use pronouns he/him and am going into my final fifth year of chem and ibiomed!🤯 Some of my interests other than stopping a small car with chemical reactions exactly at the finish line include hiking, camping, biking, and squash 🥾🏕️🚴. Fun fact, I came first in the chemeng squash tournament last year‼️‼️💪😎. If you have any questions about braking or ChemE Car feel free to DM me!!
Braking Co-Lead
Katayun Fani

Hello my name is Katayun but Kat for short! My pronouns are she/her and I’m going into my final year of chemical and bioengineering. I love baking, going to the gym and travelling! A fun fact about me is that I love playing sudoku. If you have any questions feel free to DM me on Instagram or email via fanik@mcmaster.ca
Mechanical Co-Lead
Daniel Saa Galeano

Welcome all ! I AM DANIEL the mechanical engineer 4th edition with gears for lungs. I'm a dedicated member of the chem e club team, and also the lead of the mechanical team. I love playing around with electronics and mechanical machinery and I find it very fascinating to disassemble all mechanical equipment near me. I believe the best way to learn is to break things and than repair them using a mix of duck-tap and sheer will power, if your like minded feel free to reach out to me on insta and we talk and get to know each other. A fun little fact about me is that I had the pleasure of doing and engine replacement on my old Honda this summer, that was a bit of fun.
Mechanical Co-Lead
Harnoor Kaur

Hello there, My name is Harnoor. My pronouns are she/her. I'm going into my fourth year of Mechanical Engineering. I love reading, going for a run, and drinking coffee. In my free time, I'm usually watching a good show or fidgeting around with different components, trying to learn something new. If you're interested in chatting with me, feel free to hit me up.
VP Finance
Irma Lozica

Hello My name is Irma (she/her), I am in my fourth year of iBioMed - HESE specialization. My hobbies include doing yoga, taking care of my plants, and listening to music. Academically I like biomedical sciences and economics. Feel free to message me on instagram :)
VP Finance
Damian Szydlowski
My name is Damian Szydlowski, I am in Mechatronics Engineering, level III. I like photography and building silly contraptions. Fun fact, I never lose in Monopoly. If you want to reach out, please send me an emial via szydlowd@mcmaster.ca.
VP Media
Sarah Moran

Hi, I'm Sarah! I am in my third year of Chemical and Bioengineering. I spent this past summer as a research assistant in the Sheardown Lab. When I'm not too busy studying, I enjoy camping, hiking, and reading. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on instagram or my email morans6@mcmaster.ca.
VP Communications
Laura Khurana

Hi! My name is Laura, I’m in my final year of Chemical Engineering. I enjoy travelling, reading and watching sports and a fun fact about me is that I can speak 4 languages! If you have any questions feel free to DM me on instagram!
CURRENT ENDEAVOURS
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Earned 1st place at the 2025 AICHE North Central Student Regional Conference Chem E Car competition
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Placed 2nd in the poster competition and 4th in the ChemE Car competition at Regionals 2026
APPLICATIONS
Check out the link in our link.tree for the application for the 2026-2027 executive team.
Stayed tuned for general membership.
