From Formula SAE to Industry with Oshkosh and Pratt Miller Engineers

In this episode of Beyond the Competition, hosts Mike Sorg and Scott Schultz sit down with three engineers who have taken different paths from university engineering programs into industry careers. Joining the show are Ben Baize, Controls Engineer at Pratt Miller, Evan Wiedemeier, Rotational Engineer at Oshkosh Corporation and former AutoDrive Challenge student, and Land Barnum, Electrification Engineer at Oshkosh Corporation. The conversation explores how hands-on student competition experiences—and in Land's case, a more traditional engineering path—helped prepare them for careers in vehicle development, electrification, controls engineering, autonomous systems, and commercial vehicle innovation. Key Topics Formula SAE career preparation AutoDrive Challenge experiences Engineering leadership and teamwork Vehicle controls and software development Electrification and EV technologies ADAS and autonomous vehicle systems Working across engineering disciplines Advice for current engineering students Career opportunities at Oshkosh and Pratt Miller Networking at Formula SAE competitions One additional correction from the transcript: the company name should be Oshkosh Corporation, not "Ashkosh," throughout all descriptions.