Your support helps Watson College student groups thrive
At the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, not all learning happens in the classroom.
Thanks to support from the companies and donors, a wide range of student organizations can offer opportunities to develop real-world skills while also making friends along the way. We appreciate everyone who helps to ensure these student groups can have exciting events, create leading-edge projects and make important connections.
BINGHAMTON MOTORSPORTS
Recent supporters: Advance Auto Parts, IBM Corp., The Raymond Corporation, Doron Precision Systems Inc.
How are the funds used? To design, fabricate and perfect new vehicles every year for Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) competitions. Those include the mini-Baja car and the Formula internal combustion vehicle.
“Our club fosters student growth. By facilitating a space for diverse talents and skills, students get exposure to a realistic work environment. They apply acquired knowledge, refine problem-solving skills, connect with a support group, and boost their confidence in professional settings. Our sponsors make it possible for us to compete with long-standing teams and expand our manufacturing capabilities.”
— Dylan Rinck, project manager
GIRLS WHO CODE
Recent supporters: IBM Corp., BAE Systems, the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation, Lockheed Martin, NYSEG, RubensteinTech and Visions Federal Credit Union
How are the funds used? Funds are spent on classtime snacks, classroom supplies and a graduation celebration to conclude the program each semester. In spring 2020, funds purchased laptops to take to local schools for workshops. Additionally, students and staff receive “swag” as an incentive to join the program and also advertise it.
“Our mission is to inspire, educate and equip young girls with the resources and skills to pursue technology. Girls Who Code appreciates all the funds and resources from our sponsors and donors. We make a difference in our community and mentor the next generation of girls in computer science.”
— Jennifer Seibert, president
HACKBU
Recent supporters: AIS, BAE Systems, Bloomberg, Capital One, CitiBank, General Electric, GTS, Hudson River Trading, JPMorgan Chase, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RubensteinTech, Shore Group Associates, The Raymond Corporation, Trimble Inc. and Viacom, as well as Binghamton University sponsors including the Computer Science Department, Watson College Dean’s Office, President’s Office, Provost’s Office, Research Foundation, Harpur Edge and Koffman Southern Tier Incubator
How are the funds used? To support the annual Hackathon, a 24-hour event where teams or individuals code a program for the chance to win prizes. Weekly workshops introduce new topics to coders and noncoders alike.
“Hackathon — which includes up to 35% non-computer science majors — is fairly expensive, and all of it is possible because of our sponsors. The HackBU team is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the greater coding community at Binghamton.”
— Sophie Saremsky, president
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS (NSBE)
Recent supporter: Lockheed Martin
How are the funds used? To reimburse students for regional and national conferences, which include professional career fairs with firms looking to employ students.
“The core mission of the group is to succeed professionally, excel professionally and positively affect the community. Getting more sponsors could help students attend conferences for free or at a reduced price, which would help fulfil this mission statement.”
— Alvin Noorie, president
ROVER TEAM
Recent supporters: IBM, Lockheed Martin and the IEEE Binghamton Section. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and Watson College also have provided funding, resources and lab space.
How are the funds used? Each gift allows the team to build a subsystem of the rover, such as the arm or the drive. The national competition allows up to $18,000 to be spent on the rover, so contributions make Binghamton better positioned against teams with larger budgets.
“We are grateful for these sponsorships — without them, this project simply wouldn’t be possible. These gifts have allowed us to have 40 future engineers and scientists across multiple disciplines work together to build a prototype Mars Rover that will hopefully kick some robot butt in Utah this upcoming year.”
— Danny Iacobacci, chief engineer
SOCIETY OF ASIAN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS (SASE)
Recent supporter: National board of SASE
How are the funds used? To subsidize the cost of traveling to the SASE national conference, where members attend workshops centered around
professional development, as well as attend a job fair with 40-plus companies. Binghamton SASE has done well at these
conferences, with 11 members receiving interviews, internships and/or full-time offers.
“SASE is centered around the professional development of ambitious students, and so we greatly appreciate any assistance that can help us bring the opportunities that we promise to our general body.”
— Lance Cheng, president
SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (SHPE)
Recent supporters: Delaware Engineering D.P.C., IBM, Lockheed Martin
How are the funds used? To organize events, help members participate in conferences and fund technical projects.
“SHPE empowers the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to affect the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. We are all very grateful for the support we’ve received from our alumni, all of our past corporate sponsors and Watson College. Without SHPE, many of us would not have achieved the same level of success in the classroom, job searches, the workplace and more, so we thank our supporting parties for helping us get this far.”
— Gustavo Riquelme, president
SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS (SWE)
Recent supporters: AMETEK Aerospace & Defense, BAE Systems, IBM, the Knoll-MacDonald Foundation, Lockheed Martin, and the Geraldine and Erin MacDonald Fund for Support of the Society of Women Engineers
How are the funds used? To provide skills and connections to succeed. At conferences, members network with women in engineering and attend career fairs. Funds also provide speakers at events and mentorship opportunities to underclass students.
“SWE is grateful to be supported in our mission to empower women to achieve their full potential as engineers and leaders. We are excited to take eight women to nationals this year and give them the opportunity to earn job offers, and we are thrilled to immerse a new wave of first- year students into our organization.”
— Candace Polisi, president