Advanced technologies are revolutionizing the mobility industry. But before any groundbreaking vehicle hits the roadways, it has to survive a gauntlet of rigorous testing. That’s the wheelhouse of Taylor (Manahan) Weideling, BSME ’15.
An Ohio Northern University alumna, Weideling works at the intersection of innovation and reality. She’s the Executive Director of Services at the Transportation Research Center (TRC), North America’s largest independent automotive proving ground and vehicle testing facility.
Located on a 4,500-acre campus in East Liberty, Ohio, TRC works with commercial, government, and academic clients to test the safety, durability, and performance of nearly all types of vehicles.
“Those videos of test dummies crashing into walls? That’s the type of work we do,” she says. “We have a seven-and-a-half-mile track, a six-lane high-speed highway, and even a New York City-style traffic block.”
Every year, between 40,000 and 45,000 people die in the U.S. in roadway accidents. Weideling is working to reduce that number. “It feels really impactful to work at an organization that’s testing new technologies with the potential to make a big difference on people’s lives in the U.S. and across the world.”
Having grown up in Logan County in close proximity to TRC, Weideling began her career at the organization with a college scholarship and internship. She then accepted a full-time position as a test engineer following graduation. After obtaining an MBA at Otterbein University, she transitioned into a director role overseeing the testing of advanced driver assistance technologies and automated vehicles. In her current executive position, she collaborates with groups across the organization in visionary business development.
“My goal is to help every group progress,” she says. “I’m always thinking about technology advancements and how we can continue to grow with how the industry changes.”
One recent initiative she tackled was launching a TRC satellite facility in Minnesota for testing vehicles in extreme cold, snow, and ice. She also supports a team researching safety for pregnant passengers. “I just had my first child last fall, so this one really hits home,” she says.
Weideling excels as a problem solver—a skill she says she cultivated at ONU.
“I am working with engineers and scientists who are more brilliant than I will ever be,” she says. “But I can sit down with them and make sure they have the resources they need to do their work.”
Because Weideling works with proprietary prototypes that haven’t hit the market yet, confidentiality is of utmost importance. But she can share that there are many exciting new technologies on the horizon with the potential to drastically reduce traffic fatalities, injury accidents, and property loss.
“The industry will continue to make everyday driver vehicles smarter and safer,” she says.
She also envisions a future where automated vehicles “will provide mobility access to populations that may not have always had those opportunities,” particularly in rural areas.
Looking back, Weideling is grateful that ONU set her on the path to a career that’s both exciting and fulfilling. As an honors student, softball player, and resident assistant, she built leadership skills and learned how to tackle any problem.
“Ultimately, that was my biggest takeaway from my professors and classes—how to apply that problem-solving mindset to anything you faced in the real world,” she says. “It was a fantastic foundation.”
