The SAE International student organization is home to many engineering students, among them mechanical, aerospace and electrical engineers. They help design and build a car to compete with against other colleges in the spring across the nation.

For those who joined the student organization as non-engineering majors, there is still important work to be done.

“They [SAE Formula] had actually come to a number of classes, and were looking for people to help them promote their name out there,” said Makenna Chapman, a sophomore in public relations. “By the time I had seen the fourth presentation, I was kind of like ‘alright, maybe I should try this out and see what it’s like.’”

Chapman is now in charge of the public and social outreach for the SAE Formula team. She creates newsletters each month that get sent to multiple students and staff on campus to keep them informed on Formula’s progress.

Chapman also sets up fundraisers, conducts social media promotions and takes pictures at events for the team.

“Going to the general club meetings can be kind of confusing, because I don’t have a really strong background in cars,” said Chapman. “But it’s been a really fun and interesting challenge.”

For graphic design senior Nicole White, her experience has been much the same.

“I was contacted by the Baja team because they were looking for a graphic designer,” said White, speaking on why she joined the team.

The Baja team competed in a summer 2017 event with White’s design on their car. The car had been named ‘Typhoon’ and featured a cyclone-shape design, taking cues from Iowa State’s Cyclone mascot.

“I also made a promotional video for Baja, that was a lot of fun to do,” White said. “I normally don’t get to do video work, so it was a lot of fun and a real challenge to do that. I’m really happy with how it turned out though.”

Along with the success that these students have achieved, there are unique challenges that come with each club as well.

“One of the most challenging things when it comes to writing for [Formula] is trying to translate, in a way, what these guys are doing into something that the average reader could understand,” Chapman said. “It’s cool to see how differently they can think from each other but it can also be a challenge to put in the newsletter.”

For sophomore Hannah Gorton, a triple major in accounting, finance and international finance, the story is much the same.

“I became the treasurer of SAE International after they had come to a Beta Alpha Psi event, looking for a new treasurer,” said Gorton. “I didn’t know much about the club, but it seemed pretty interesting so I joined.”

Gorton is in charge of the general bookkeeping for all of SAE International, and said that at times, it can be a stressful task.

“It’s a lot of fun, talking with the other members at cabinet meetings, but it can also be a lot of work keeping track of all the purchases that all the different teams make,” Gorton said.