SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — In the shop, theory is put to the test.
Calculations move off the page and into systems that must perform under real conditions. Brake designs become something a driver has to trust at speed. Steering geometry becomes the difference between control and instability on uneven terrain.
For Lawrence Technological University Mechanical Engineering senior Allison Anastas, that connection is precisely what drew her to engineering.
“Seeing something you have designed and built come to life and work the way you intended is the best feeling,” she said.
Anastas, of St. Clair Shores, is team captain of Blue Devil Motorsports, leading a six-person team building a Baja SAE off-road vehicle. Here, theory guides every decision. Practice reveals whether those decisions hold true.
Anastas’ path into engineering began with curiosity and took shape through experience. Physics sparked her interest in high school. A college-level engineering course gave it direction. Conversations through the Society of Women Engineers made it real.
“I grew up going up north and going off-roading with my family,” she said. “So I knew Baja would be the right fit for me to understand what goes into engineering.”
That familiarity now informs how she approaches design, always grounded in how systems perform in the real world.
Blue Devil Motorsports runs lean. Six students. One vehicle. No margin for miscommunication.
Anastas leads with clarity and consistency, staying closely connected to each team member’s progress.
“I define leadership as being a guiding voice behind my team,” she said. “I rely on frequent check-ins and clear task ownership. Everyone is responsible for specific systems, and we track progress regularly. We also try to break down our larger goals into simple tasks. Consistency matters more than intensity. If people know what’s expected and when, things move forward.”
When something falls behind, it is addressed directly.
“No vague updates,” she said. “If something falls behind, we adjust it.”
Structure keeps the project moving. Communication keeps the team connected.
Engineering a competition vehicle means working within constraints. Time, materials, and manufacturing capabilities all shape the outcome.
“The hardest decisions have been trade-offs between ideal design and what we can realistically manufacture,” Anastas says.
The most optimized solution on paper often needs to be adapted. To navigate those choices, she focuses on risk: “If something fails, what’s the consequence? That usually makes the decision clearer.”
That approach is especially critical in systems that affect control.
“Safety is a non-negotiable baseline,” she said. “If something compromises control or predictability, it is not worth it.”
Progress in Baja SAE is rarely linear. Designs evolve. Parts fail. Adjustments are constant.
“Failure is constant,” Anastas said. “Designs don’t work the first time, parts don’t fit, and things break under load. You have to see that as part of the process instead of something to avoid and keep moving forward.”
Iteration becomes a discipline. Each version improves on the last, allowing the team to move forward without getting stuck.
“You just have to keep moving forward and not get stuck on something that didn’t work,” she said.
Internship experience has sharpened her approach, particularly in documentation and communication.
“In school, our CAD course goes into the basics,” she said. “Being in industry and using production drawings has helped me greatly.”
That experience now carries into the Baja project.
“Making production level drawings makes it much easier to delegate fabrication responsibilities,” she said.
Clear documentation translates into more efficient execution.
Experience in both government and private-sector environments has reinforced a simple principle: mistakes are costly.
“In both environments, mistakes are expensive,” she said.
That expectation shapes how she approaches the Baja team’s work. She’s learned to double-check work, track changes, and communicate clearly when something is uncertain.
No matter what the project, the goal remains the same: build something that performs reliably.
Eventually, the team’s work leaves the shop.
The Baja SAE competition brings every decision into focus under real conditions.
“All the design decisions are validated or exposed there,” Anastas said.
For her, the moment is not just about performance, but about seeing the process come together.
“I’m excited to watch my teammates navigate the course and cheer them on,” she said.
As graduation approaches in December 2026, Anastas sees her Blue Devil Motorsports experience as foundational.
“It’s made me more practical,” she said. “I think about manufacturability, serviceability, and reliability much earlier in the design process now.”
It has also shifted her sense of responsibility. She plans to carry that mindset into a career that blends technical depth with leadership.
“I want to be the type of engineer that sees each potential consequence of a design decision before the consequences are happening,” she said.
With competition near, the focus shifts from building to execution.
The vehicle is nearly complete. The decisions have been made. What remains is to see how those decisions perform under pressure, where there is little room for adjustment and no way to separate design from outcome.
“It means holding a high standard,” Anastas said. “You’re representing not just your team but the program.”
The Baja SAE competition, where collegiate teams from around the world test their vehicles through design evaluation, performance events, and endurance racing, will take place in Rochester, NY, from June 11-14, 2026.
In that environment, results are immediate and unfiltered. Every calculation, every trade-off, every late adjustment is tested all at once.
“It’s the most honest test of the work,” she said. “All the design decisions are validated or exposed there. You see what actually works, what doesn’t, and you learn from it. That’s what makes all the effort worth it.”
Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU, which offers communication training programs of the former Specs Howard School, and LTU’s growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News & World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.