{"id":120,"date":"2022-11-03T02:57:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T02:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/?p=120"},"modified":"2023-10-10T21:31:12","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T21:31:12","slug":"donk-racing-and-stem-equity-cit-professor-researches-informal-learning-pathways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/2022\/11\/03\/donk-racing-and-stem-equity-cit-professor-researches-informal-learning-pathways\/","title":{"rendered":"Donk Racing and STEM Equity – CIT Professor researches Informal Learning pathways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shirl Donaldson is an assistant professor of project management, STEM education and entrepreneurship in the University of Michigan-Flint\u2019s College of Innovation and Technology<\/a>. She is researching Donk car racing and whether it can help change the way minoritized kids think about STEM subjects in relation to themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to racing, tons of money is spent on the sport. Some teams have budgets in the billions. But African Americans are visibly absent. Except for Donk racing. You go to Donk racing, you see a whole audience of African Americans, and a few other people sprinkled in. In contrast, if you go to an Indy car race, you gotta look around, and try<\/em> to spot us.\u201d<\/p>Shirl Donaldson, Asst. professor of
project management, STEM Ed and Entrepreneurship<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is Donk racing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Donk, strictly speaking, is a fifth-gen Chevy Impala or Caprice (1971-76) with at least a 26\u201d wheel on it, low profile tires, and lifted suspension to accommodate those wheels. To put your vehicle into one of the Donk categories and race, vehicles have to meet some pretty tight specifications. There are also \u2018G Body classes\u2019 which admit a wider range of 1969-88 GM makes. You might see a mid 80\u2019s Cadillac Brougham in one of these races, or an Olds Cutlass, but it will have at least 22\u201d wheels on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A spectator marvels at the details of Sage Thomas’ prized Donk at one of the race events.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donks are a category of hi-riser vehicles that came out of the \u201cdirty south\u201d hip-hop subculture in the early 90\u2019s. Some say the name came from a colloquial reference to the \u2018Impala\u2019 logo as a \u2018donkey,\u2019 others point to the fact that the front suspension sits the car slightly higher than the rear, giving the car a unique stance on the road. These cars were gorgeous, initially meant for show and cruising, but then legends like Murff Donk started street racing them in Miami. Donk racing increased in popularity and legitimacy, and now there is a National Donk Racing Association<\/a>, which offers structured rules, a curated fan experience and marketing support for Big Wheel racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project origins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was a car that led to the unusual epiphany to research this intersection. Donaldson\u2019s husband, a tool-and-die maker, had an \u201887 Cadillac Allant\u00e9. When he passed away, the car went into storage for safekeeping until their son turns 25 (three years to go!). This past winter, the relative was moving, so she and her current partner went to pick up the car. \u201cUnfortunately,\u201d she says, \u201cwe accidentally picked up COVID along with the car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resulting TV binge led Donaldson to start thinking in a new way. \u201cMy partner,\u201d she says, \u201cwatches all the car shows because he\u2019s a retired mechanic.\u201d As he\u2019s flipping through the channels, he comes across Donkmasters<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m watching the first episode, and I\u2019m like \u2018this is crazy.\u2019 Then I\u2019m like, \u2018this is cool,\u2019 and then I\u2019m like, \u2018do you see everybody?\u2019\u201d People of all ages are in the crowd and mostly African Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before becoming a CIT professor, Donaldson was a high level manager in manufacturing, and she specialized in project management and LEAN Process Improvement. She has an extensive background in the intersection of entrepreneurship and manufacturing from her family\u2019s business running machine shops that supplied Tier 1 automotive companies. She saw all of these disciplines at play in the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m seeing them race, and with my traditional training, I notice that everything they\u2019re doing is the antithesis of traditional racing. Like aerodynamics, they\u2019re big cars, not little cars. They\u2019re sitting up high, not low to the ground,\u201d Donaldson says. \u201cThat really grabbed my attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Black
One of the mechanics makes some engine adjustments at the race site.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She then started focusing on the conversations that the drivers and mechanics were having about how they prep the vehicles, how they\u2019ve modified the vehicles, what they do to customize them, the rims, the tires, the whole process. She muses, \u201cI wonder if these kids realize that they\u2019re watching applied engineering and material science in action?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

STEM access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Raised
A finished Donk is parked beneath a work in progress for the night in Sage Thomas’ In and Out Customs shop.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donaldson is connecting that thought with current research that looks at STEM diversity. According to WIRED\u2019s <\/em>\u201c5 Numbers that explain why STEM diversity matters to all of us<\/a>,\u201d the US Science and Engineering workforce in 2018 was around 86 million and growing ahead of employment in other fields. The report continues that 84% of these roles were filled by white and Asian males. Companies and countries who increase diversity in the management of these fields will reap major economic benefits, according to a University of Maryland and Columbia University Business School study the article cites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to education, Donaldson says, \u201cZip code matters.\u201d She relays that, when she was going to graduate school at Purdue University, her son was around 9 years old, and they lived in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the school was located. \u201cBecause so many professors lived there and they voted to support the millage for the school system, it was almost like getting a private school education for free. West Lafayette public schools have a blue-ribbon designation by the US Department of Education, whereas if you go 5 miles across the bridge from West Lafayette to Lafayette, it\u2019s a totally different school system with totally different priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After grad school, Donaldson started recognizing the ways this translates to students\u2019 sense of persistence and mattering in higher education as well. \u201cI worked at UT Tyler, which is regional, and then I worked at UT Austin, and there was a totally different caliber student, based on who they admitted, how students were prepared, be they a minority or of dominant culture,\u201d she says. \u201cSo we have to be aware of that. Sometimes it’s racial, sometimes it’s socio-economic, sometimes it’s family background. I became acutely more aware of how preparation can impact a student’s trajectory.\u201d Again, this circles back to the importance of reaching students earlier. She says, \u201cthat gives all of us more options, an opportunity to impact change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donk racing is unique in this sense of perceived access. Donaldson noted that, even after getting all of her passes to the Indy race she attended, it still cost $20 just to park for the event, which is the total cost of admission to the average Donk race. \u201cDifferent types of motorsports are less inclusive. It\u2019s definitely an access issue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study how?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This year, Donaldson has been going to the races and surveying the kids and teens (ages 10-16), parents, drivers, and mechanics. She is asking the kids what their favorite subjects in school are and what they like about Donk racing. \u201cIf we can figure this out early, what they like, what they don\u2019t like, and why they\u2019re here (at the race); that\u2019s a good starting point,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shirl
Donaldson sits raceside, making research look cool.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donaldson explains that once we see the kids are interested in it, then we can expose them to the different vocabulary that exists in the formal STEM curriculum. \u201cI hear you talking about this [aspect of Donk racing], there\u2019s another theory behind that. We don\u2019t say right or wrong. It\u2019s just different. Because obviously, it\u2019s working,\u201d she says. \u201cThe caveat is that, if it was on a standardized test, they would probably get it wrong, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t understand these concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the drivers and mechanics, she\u2019s gaining insight to all the ways that STEM principles are in their practices. A mechanic setting up a Nitrous system – \u201cthat\u2019s chemistry,\u201d says Donaldson. \u201cWhen you get into the Indy car races and talk to the drivers, they\u2019re using geometry to figure their turns.\u201d Some of the mechanics are formally trained. Others progressed to the elite level through informal learning. \u201cLanguage is our clue that there\u2019s more conversation.The language is indicative of it occupying a different space, but the proof is in the results.\u201d Sage Thomas, the \u2018Donkmaster\u2019 himself, began learning in his uncle\u2019s garage and built his first Donk at 16 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are all sorts of engineering concepts that come to play as well. When the mechanics raise the suspension and switch to the big wheels, they have to modify the brakes and other components to compensate for the changes in center of gravity and wheel diameter. The NDRA requires parachutes, and roll-cages with certain specifications and an external shut-off switch to kill the motor and all electrical components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Professor
CIT Professor Shirl Donaldson poses with some Donks in the In and Out Custom shop. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When she was at an Indy race, Donaldson got a chance to see a rich data collection of race stats. \u201cThat kind of data analytics may bring in some students who had not previously considered informatics or information technology.\u201d This academic year, Donaldson is getting a graduate student research assistant to help analyze the qualitative data collected from the surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s also integrating this into some of her classes at the CIT. She is teaching Manufacturing Project Management this term and plans to guide her students through the process of designing a part for one of the Donk racing teams. Denise \u201cBabygirl\u201d Markham, who shows big-wheel motorcycles and leads a women\u2019s empowerment group, met Donaldson through her partner, Sage Thomas. Donaldson\u2019s Digital Manufacturing Technology course, DMT 230, Manufacturing Project Managing students are designing a custom tiara gas cap ornament for her main motorcycle. She came to the class via zoom and talked to the class about the project requirements, specs, preferred materials and characteristics. She also explained why the project is important. For example, many of the men who show their bikes have crowns on their gas caps, but nobody followed through to make a tiara for her until Donaldson brought this research project into the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next summer, Donaldson plans to design and test a STEM and career workshop that is related to Donk racing and motorsports. \u201cThis type of engagement is both informal learning and also applied learning,\u201d says Donaldson. \u201cSome kids are tactile learners. Initially, they may not feel comfortable dealing with formulas, but they\u2019re doing the stuff.\u201d This workshop may follow the pattern of the career day component at the Autorama hot rod show, but take place either locally or at the Donk races that happen across the country. \u201cWe do a lot of hands-on stuff at the CIT,\u201d she says, \u201cBut when students are interested, and it\u2019s something that\u2019s important to them, they\u2019re gonna make the extra effort, and you\u2019re gonna hold their interest longer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all in process at this point, but two things are clear: previous research shows that there is a diversity issue in STEM, and Shirl Donaldson is going to get some answers on the matter. Donk racing could certainly further diversify STEM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shirl Donaldson is an assistant professor of project management, STEM education and entrepreneurship in the University of Michigan-Flint\u2019s College of Innovation and Technology. She is researching Donk car racing and whether it can help change the way minoritized kids think about STEM subjects in relation to themselves.  \u201cWhen it comes to racing, tons of money […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[36,64,52,53,60,62,56,45,12,65,54,18,19,17,59,66,61,22,68,63,58,55,67,57,28,50],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-um-flint-research","tag-applied-learning","tag-chevrolet","tag-cit","tag-college-of-innovation-and-technology","tag-diversity","tag-donkmaster","tag-engineering","tag-equity","tag-featured","tag-hi-riser","tag-informal-learning","tag-office-of-research","tag-office-of-research-and-economic-development","tag-ored","tag-qualitative-research","tag-racing","tag-representation","tag-research","tag-rims","tag-sage-thomas","tag-science","tag-stem","tag-street-racing","tag-technology","tag-um-flint","tag-university-of-michigan-flint"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions\/146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.umflint.edu\/ored\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}