Society of Automotive Engineers

MISSION

The UMaine Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) club seeks to create an opportunity for students of any major to take part in the many aspects of designing a vehicle for an SAE design competition. UMaine SAE’s primary goal is to compete in a North American SAE Collegiate Competition where teams across the nation are judged based on their design, cost report, and racing abilities. Currently, the UMaine SAE club is in the design phase of constructing a Baja vehicle for competition. So far, the frame has been designed in SolidWorks and the club is now diving into a weight estimate and determining/designing the suspension system. In order to compete in a Collegiate Competition, UMaine SAE must design a vehicle, acquire funds to create the vehicle, and then contruct the vehicle from the frame up. To accomplish this tremendous challenge, UMaine SAE is comprised of student volunteers who collaborate and learn from each other and from availalbe faculty or mentors. In doing so, members will gain valuable experience applicable to real-world scenarios, giving them a leading edge for employment.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Members will be able to gain and develop many skills within the design, production, and business aspects of a business or other team. We stay very flexible and adapt the club to meet the desires of any individual member and their interests. Whether those interests being in designing components or major structures of a racecar and surrounding equipment, producing and building those components through the use of state of the art tooling technology, developing testing techniques and applying them to real world tests, or even in reaching out to companies for sponsorship and partnership opportunities, or managing finances and delving into the inner workings of a club/business on a technical level. We have options and opportunities for any person of any interest or knowledge level.

GOALS

2021-2024: After inheriting a ten-year-old capstone project car, Black Bear Racing has been working hard on building the foundation required to compete
2024-2025: We will be taking our designs and building the year’s chassis to compete in Formula SAE Michigan in the spring of 2025. In the meantime, our previous car will be competing in local autocross events.
2025-2030: We will be improving on previous designs while experimenting with hybrid electric or full electric powertrains. We will also be continuing our research into the design of a carbon fiber monocoque for future cars.
2030-Beyond: Continue to iterate on previous designs as well as implementing new innovative technologies and ideas into our car.