Since September 2023, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) has provided a safe learning environment for multicultural scientists and engineers to grow professionally and join a community.
“The purpose of SASE is to recruit and develop students to become the leaders of tomorrow, celebrate and promote diversity across campus and in the workforce, and give back to our local community,” stated the SASE website.
SASE is a student-run organization connected with other SASE groups at the collegiate level. This organization runs on a “three-pillar” value system, with the three pillars listed below:
- Celebrate diversity
- Grow leadership within students and members
- Give back to the community
“[Prior to SASE] there was nothing targeted towards the Asian students,” Billie Alexander, a junior studying materials engineering and a founder and co-president of SASE, said. “I felt like that was such a loss to this community with so many Asian students at Iowa State dispersed throughout the seven colleges. I wanted to create an organization that could become an umbrella to everyone.”
Though SASE is designed to highlight the importance of Asian students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) career path, it is open to any student who wants to join. The organization wanted to highlight its value system, particularly “celebrating diversity.” Any student regardless of race or major can join the organization, as SASE values diversity in all forms.
“I told [the founders] that if I would be a helper to them, I would serve and see where this is going,” Sri Sritharan, PHD, a distinguished professor within the engineering department, assistant dean for the College of Engineering and faculty advisor for SASE, said. “We have a fairly large Asian population […], so I thought it’s a unique and important group to exist on campus, given that it’s a national organization.”
Alexander originally noticed a lack of support for Asian students on the STEM track and realized she had stumbled upon an untapped market. Now, she serves as a co-president of the organization, helping Asian students to find a community on campus.
“[I wanted to create] a network of community where people can rely on each other, get connections and get that professional development while they’re in undergrad before they go on to the workforce,” Alexander said.
The organization focuses heavily on forming a diverse community on campus and pushes its members to grow in their education and professional development. The group meets at 6 p.m. every Thursday in Carver Hall, room 205. During the meetings, students will find professional development opportunities, a community and academic help.
SASE does not limit itself to providing opportunities on campus, however. The organization has a national convention for the collegiate level scheduled for Oct. 10-12. Attendees also have the opportunity to attend a professional development portion of the convention that will start Oct. 9. To learn more about professional development opportunities within SASE or the national convention, email [email protected].
“One of the focuses that I realized was providing professional development at a very high level,” Sritharan said. “[SASE] has their own career fairs that they will do as part of this convention, and they facilitate improving resumes. […] There is a significant emphasis on professional development. Not just in finding the right job, but they also want to help them grow towards becoming a professional.”
For more information about the Iowa State chapter of SASE visit its website, follow its Instagram page or connect to its LinkedIn page.
