Rossi, Herta help inspire next generation at Honda STEAM tour

Alexander Rossi

Alexander Rossi became a star when he won the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil in May. The native Californian may have inspired future behind-the-scenes stars of the Verizon IndyCar Series when he participated Wednesday in the Honda STEAM Connections Tour stop at San Jose State University.

Rossi, the Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian driver from Nevada City, Calif., fielded questions from more than 200 aspiring middle – and high-school students at the event. STEAM is an acronym for "science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics" – all important educational components to be successful working in racing, whether it's designing and building engines, serving as a team engineer, marketing representative, team accountant or other occupations in the industry.

"I think it's fantastic," Rossi said. "A lot of people know there is some form of engineering and technology in race cars, but not many really know the extent of it, unless you are always around it. I had, growing up, some form of science and technology (education), along with the basics of vehicle dynamics and what makes a race car go quickly.

Bryan Herta

"So for anyone that's potentially looking to be involved in racing, I think it's a great thing."

The 24-year-old driver was joined by team co-owner Bryan Herta, who emphasized the importance of real-world knowledge that begins with the classroom curriculum. Herta said San Jose State was the right location for the event given the successful history of its Formula SAE program, which currently ranks third nationally.

"The history that San Jose State has with their Formula SAE program and the success they've had makes it a natural target for company like Honda," Herta said. "They are going to want to recruit kids out of the engineering programs of universities like this, so for us to be able to connect with them and also some of the younger kids that are probably a step or two away from moving into a university, we're able to interact with a lot of young people in a short amount of time in a really cool way."