Penn State Altoona Motorsports Club
The Penn State Altoona Motorsports club is a group of students predominantly from engineering degree programs but also including students from other majors. We compete in the BAJA SAE Collegiate Design series. BAJA SAE is an international collegiate competition held in various locations throughout the United States. The goal of the competition is to build an off road vehicle powered by a standard Briggs and Stratton engine. All other design aspects are decided by the team and must comply with stringent BAJA SAE rules and regulations.
We offer students a hands-on learning experience to supplement everything they learn at Penn State, whether the student is an Engineering major, Security Risk Analysis major, Business major, Information Systems Technology major, or any other major at Penn State Altoona. Our club, through the BAJA SAE competition, provides students with an opportunity to express the potential of their knowledge and creativity in a real world situation. Some students choose to work on the finance and budget aspects of designing the vehicle while others work on multi-media, sales, and marketing materials.
A large portion of the students choose to focus on engineering design and fabrication. Undoubtedly, all students enjoy the testing aspect. We work hard to foster an environment of inclusion, in which experienced members mentor new members every step of the way. Everyone is welcome in this club, regardless of engineering or technical background.
Penn State Altoona Aerospace Club (PSAAC)
The mission of the Aerospace club is to engage undergraduate students and foster their interest in science and engineering (irrespective of academic discipline). The club has a goal of giving students a hands on experience through the design, construction, and launch of rockets, high-altitude balloons, drones, and airbreathing devices such as helicopters, propeller and gas turbine planes. The ultimate goal of the club is to participate in local, regional, and national competitions for the abovementioned air breathing or spacecraft.
Tau Alpha Pi
The Tau Alpha Pi National Honor Society was founded in 1953 and is now chartered at 133 colleges and universities. Its purpose is to recognize desirable personal and intellectual qualities of engineering technology students.
Members of Tau Alpha Pi are eligible to compete yearly with other members for scholarships of varying amounts. Members will also receive a sticker for their diploma, a special color tassel and lapel pin to forever show their membership to the society.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
Membership in SWE is open to all who meet the membership eligibility criteria, 36 regardless of race, creed, color, gender, age, national origin, or sexual orientation. Women in engineering/technology—you are a dominate force. You are simply underrepresented in the field. The Society of Women in Engineering (SWE) is dedicated to the promotion of Women in Engineering/Technology by advocating the importance of diversity and by uniting resources to encourage academic, leadership, professional, and personal excellence for the entire Engineering community of Today and Tomorrow. At Penn State Altoona, SWE also insists that you have fun in the process. This female-centered student group focuses on issues related to your success through mentoring, study groups, and networking (for internships and jobs). For those of you who will finish your education at UP, there is opportunity to get to know women engineers at UP thus making the transition that much easier. The group has a tradition of service and involvement with the local community. SWE also cosponsors events such as industry tours with other engineering groups. And it creates the ever popular tee shirt series including Top 10 Reasons to Date an Engineer, and Top 10 Reasons to be an Engineer. For more information visit the Society of Women Engineers website.
Study Abroad – Gearheads in Germany
Upper division EMET students will be able to experience life in Southern Germany as well as get to visit several museums and tour several well-known German cities. The program focuses on automation in general and specifically manufacturing. The purpose of the program is to augment small scale laboratory exercises with large scale, real world industrial experience.