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Volume 1, No. 6. April 20, 2001

Coasting to an education

After Brooke Basinger graduates next month with an engineering degree from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, she will start a one-year Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Her scholarship: riding roller coasters around the world.

The $22,000 fellowship will fund Basinger’s study of coaster design as she pays particular attention to international concepts in thrill-delivery technology and cultural variations. Departing in August, she will spend the remainder of the amusement park season visiting parks in Europe, "hang out" in the off season at such manufacturers as Bolliger & Mabillard, Vekoma and Intamin, then finish her year of study traveling through the Far East and South America.

"I’m not really a coaster fanatic, but I’ve been interested in coasters since I was little," said Basinger, a frequent visitor to Six Flags Magic Mountain and other California parks. She spent her childhood growing up near Elitch Gardens in Denver. "As I’ve gotten further in my engineering education, I’ve learned more and more what a cool engineering feat they are. Their whole purpose is to scare the crap out of people, which is a unique engineering goal."

OK, but how does one get a fellowship to ride coasters? Basinger said she learned of the Watson Fellowship program "that basically funds just cool projects, usually very humanities-based," and decided to come up with a course of study within her engineering discipline. After a week of brainstorming, she hit upon combining her interest in coasters with the fellowship’s requirement that the project involve study abroad. Hers is one of 60 Watson Fellowship grants this year: more than 1,000 students applied to the program.

While she won over the grantors, she had trouble selling some of the coaster manufacturers on her aims. "They needed to be convinced that I don’t need to be baby sat, that I’m not looking for a job, that I am an engineer and I’m not looking for handouts," she said.

Meanwhile, she’s become the talk of fellow students and envy of coaster enthusiasts. "Watson provides a stipend if you’re married so you can take your spouse with you," said the unmarried Basinger. "I’ve had about three marriage proposals."

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