SAE Update - April 2024 - 37

D.C. Section a powerhouse
at GiM event and beyond
ENGINEERING EVENTS
outings. This month, they are collaborating
with Volkswagen at its D.C. office to have a
hands-on look at the new VW ID. Buzz
electric minivan, which arrives at U.S.
dealers later this year.
The Washington, D.C., Section merged
with the Virginia Section last year. Now a
combined entity under the D.C. umbrella, it
has 24 board members and over 800
members involved with planning the
Section's activities. In addition to
professional programming and events, the
D.C. Section works closely with SAE
Collegiate Chapters and University Program
teams in the area, organizing showcase
events where students have a chance to
share their projects with industry.
Perhaps the best of these student
showcase events occurs at GIM, where SAE
student competition teams are invited to
present their vehicles and talk about their
work with GIM attendees.
" To see this excitement, pride, and
enthusiasm when they talk about their
work reminds me how many of us in this
industry were also involved in automotive
and SAE competitions at the beginning of
our careers, and how impactful the
experiences can be for young engineers, "
Chung said. " We have the unique
opportunity to encourage them to pursue
careers in mobility, and I know many
students from past GIMs have found career
opportunities with attendees and their
companies in the past. "
Chung himself is involved in local high
UPDATE
Find your SAE Local Section
There are currently 47 SAE Local Sections in
26 states and seven countries, each offering
an unmatched opportunity to connect with
engineering and mobility experts, share
ideas spanning industries and job functions,
and give back to your local community. Each
SAE Local Section is comprised of 100 or
more SAE International members in a
defined technical or geographic area.
Browse our SAE Local Section list here and
join today.
school science fairs as a special category
judge. At these fairs, the D.C. Section offers
first and second place prizes to support the
area's STEM programs and encourage the
development of future engineers. In a
similar vein, Section members also hold oncampus
panel discussion events and
provide support during local SAE Collegiate
Chapter meetings.
" We have a unique perspective of the
industry because of the diversity of our
members, " Chung said. The D.C. Section's
members represent a wide spectrum of
professional experience, ranging from public
policy to cybersecurity to military and
beyond. Still, there's always room for growth.
" Even though we have many active
members, we continue to look for more
people to get involved and welcome all SAE
members in the NOVA and Washington,
D.C., area to look us up on the SAE website
and come out to some of our events. " n
By Gretchen Uhrinek, Editor.
April 2024
37

https://www.vw.com/en/models/id-buzz.html https://www.vw.com/en/models/id-buzz.html https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/sections/list/ https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/collegiate-chapters https://www.sae.org/attend/student-events https://www.sae.org/servlets/sectionInfo?SECTION_CODE=MS085&OBJECT_TYPE=sectionInfo&PAGE=getSectionMainPage

SAE Update - April 2024

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