ISU Auto Students Shine at 'Chrome in the Dome'

A Showcase of Creativity and Skill

POCATELLO – Over the weekend, thousands of people had the chance to witness the creativity of Idaho State University students. ISU’s automotive department hosted its annual fundraiser, “Chrome in the Dome,” on Friday and Saturday. During both days, around 10,000 attendees explored the show floor in the ICCU Dome, where over 150 unique vehicles of various shapes, sizes, and time periods were displayed.

Some of these vehicles were awarded with equally unique trophies, created by students in the Automotive Technology and Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology departments, which both organize the massive fundraiser.

“They gave us almost complete creative liberty. So it’s like, ‘here’s all your parts. Put some (trophies) together. Just make it school-appropriate,” said Burke Neville, a first-year student in the Automotive Technology and Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology department.

Fundraising for Student Success

Chrome in the Dome raises funding for students in both programs, with some of the proceeds going towards scholarships for tuition or equipment, as well as networking events and competition financing. According to Brock Gunter, coordinator for the Automotive Technology program, the event is not only a showcase of talent but also an opportunity for students to gain real-world experience.

“ISU to showcase over 150 vehicles for Chrome in the Dome this weekend” is just one of the many highlights of the event.

Behind-the-Scenes Efforts

And the students do the work of organizing this fundraiser. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work we do,” Gunter said. In addition to building trophies, the students assist with selecting which vehicles will be on the show floor during registration, as well as assembling goodie bags for the car owners.

“But it’s during the show where the students really shine. They do a great job,” Gunter said, explaining that the students carry out their assignments reliably while setting up and managing the show, allowing unique cars to take the field.

Custom-Built Trophies

The unique cars that enter Chrome in the Dome have the opportunity to win a custom-built student trophy. Daniel Olmos, a second-year student in the Automotive Technology program, shared his experience of crafting one of the trophies. Olmos designed a trophy that looked like a bird in a nest.

“I tried to make it just like a baby bird’s wings are up, and it’s just in a nest,” Olmos said.

Neville also showed the first trophy that he built. “I was just told, ‘Oh, hey, you have to make a trophy.’ So I made something that looked like a trophy,” Neville said.

Neville explained that he put it together by finding the parts that he liked and tack-welding them together. Once he was happy with the design, he fully welded it together, sandblasted it, primed it, and painted it.

The Value of the Experience

Winning one of these trophies makes the experience more fulfilling for the vehicle owners, said Gunter, rather than earning a normal award. “It’s not just a plaque you win or something. … It’s the students building them, and they’re definitely very creative, and they do a good job,” Gunter said.

And both Neville and Olmos feel that what they’ve learned by helping to organize Chrome in the Dome will have long-term benefits for their careers. Neville said that he learned people skills and how to handle different people’s expectations.

“The biggest thing that I learned is how to handle people, because everybody has different expectations for different things. … It’s almost just people-pleasing, but so that everybody is happy in the end,” Neville said.

Learning from Real-World Experiences

Olmos was grateful for the chance to learn from the experience of different vehicle owners at Chrome in the Dome. “These are all some pretty cool builds. And me, personally, I want to do some stuff like this. So, learning from talking to these old guys, … most of them have built their own engines, or they’ve done work like that. So talking to everybody around here, and then getting more knowledge from them (has been a benefit),” Olmos said.