Student Organizations

We believe that student clubs and organizations allow for further exploration and discovery in both academic and social areas, enabling growth experiences and learning beyond the classroom setting. At the Statler College, we have a variety of clubs and organizations available for our students to join. Explore the options below to find the right fit for you.

• Amateur Radio Club: Interested in learning about radio frequency communications? The WVU Amateur Radio Club offers students the opportunity to learn about the use of radio frequency spectrum for non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radio-sport, contesting and emergency communications. The WVU Amateur Radio Club is the oldest club at the university. It allows students to explore past and present radio technologies and participate in an international community with other amateur radio stations and operators worldwide simply using the radio airwaves.
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers: The WVU American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) provides opportunities for students to gain broader insight into the mechanical engineering profession. ASME is a global professional association of over 100,000 engineers and technical experts promoting the art, science and practice of multidisciplinary engineering around the globe. ASME serves global communities by advancing, disseminating and applying knowledge to improve the quality of life; and communicating the excitement of engineering. The ASME Student Chapter invites practicing engineers to campus to present seminars, arranges field trips to research and engineering establishments, and helps organize the Annual WVU Pumpkin Drop. In addition, WVU students participate annually in the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge.
• Association of Energy Engineers: AEE is an international, non-profit, professional organization focused on supporting members that work to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gases, improve performance of buildings, and help reach global goals for net-zero emissions. As a member, students become part of a global community of like-minded individuals with a shared passion for energy!
• CyberWVU: CyberWVU is a student-run organization centered around Cyber Security and Free and Open Source Software. The organization competes in multiple competitions throughout the year and hosts speakers, competition simulations, volunteer tutoring hours, open-source volunteer events and security training sessions. CyberWVU focuses on encouraging awareness, enhancing knowledge and preparing students for a career in cybersecurity.
• Design, Build, Fly Club: The purpose of this organization is to bring WVU students from all majors together to design, fabricate and fly unmanned, electric-powered, radio-controlled aircraft (UAVs), which can best meet the specified mission profile set forth by The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) DBF Committee. Our goal is to accomplish various tasks to allow us to travel to and compete in the annual AIAA DBF Competition held in the Spring.
• EcoCAR: EcoCAR allows engineering students to design and build advanced vehicles to demonstrate cutting-edge automotive technologies to minimize the environmental impact of future personal transportation. The WVU team comprises 60-90 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students from the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, John Chambers College of Business and Economics and the Reed College of Media. The team has competed in several advanced vehicle technology competitions focused on designing and integrating advanced-technology powertrains, lightweight materials and aerodynamic improvements into a production vehicle. Using this approach, EcoCAR explores pathways for future vehicles while giving the student participants the knowledge and experience they need to rapidly develop critical engineering skills and become the next generation of leaders in the automotive industry.
• Experimental Rocketry Team: The WVU Experimental Rocketry Team is an organization that designs, fabricates and competitively fly’s high-powered rockets. The organization is committed to promoting the advancement of amateur high-power rocketry through group projects and outreach. They compete in national and international competitions, including the Annual Spaceport America Cup and the Annual Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition.
  
• Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers: The WVU Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers develops leadership of industrial engineering students and exposes those students to the responsibilities of professional industrial engineers.
• Microgravity Research Team: The undergraduate Microgravity Research Team (MRT) at WVU is currently offered as a technical elective every semester and attracts some of the best performing MAE undergraduates. It has been established since early 2000 with initial support from NASA WV Space Grant and MAE Department. The team focuses on promoting aerospace investigations in a reduced gravity environment.
• Mine Rescue Team: The WVU Mine Rescue Team is a student-managed organization dedicated to improving mine emergency response and safety. Members receive training on breathing apparatus, first aid, firefighting, ventilation and mine rescue techniques. Typically, the organization will enter one or two teams in a mine rescue skills contest in the spring semester to assess their abilities against professional industry teams. The team is a part of the local mine rescue community, which sends volunteers to assist at mine rescue competitions and has participated in several developmental initiatives to improve mine rescue communication and training.
• National Society of Black Engineers: The WVU chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is dedicated to the academic and professional success of African American engineering students and professionals. NSBE offers its member’s leadership training, professional development, mentoring opportunities, career placement services and more. NSBE aims to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.
• Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers: The WVU chapter of the Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers is a national organization that provides mentoring and academic and professional support to WVU students, particularly Latinx, Hispanic and underrepresented students in the STEM field. SHPE provides networking opportunities to all members through an annual national conference and bi-monthly meetings with professionals in various engineering or engineering-related fields. SHPE raises awareness, provides access and prepares Hispanic students and professionals to become leaders in the STEM field through driving innovation, the global economy and a prosperous Hispanic community.
• Society of Women Engineers: The WVU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is part of an international organization focused on stimulating women to achieve their full potential in their careers as engineers and leaders. WVU’s section of SWE is dedicated to K-12 STEM outreach, professional development and promotion of women in engineering. The WVU chapter hosts events like Girls’ STEM Day, Next Generation STEM Day, Leadership Conference and Engineering Formal to unite women engineers.
• Tau Beta Pi: The WVU chapter of Tau Beta Pi is the premier engineering honor society, focusing on the top students in engineering. The chapter, WV-Alpha, engages in professional development activities, community service and building a social network of engineers across all disciplines.
• WVU Robotics: WVU robotics provides students with hands-on opportunities to learn how to design, build, operate and navigate robots. By integrating areas like mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, information engineering, mechatronics, electronics, bioengineering, computer engineering, control engineering, software engineering and mathematics, students learn firsthand how to create systems that can help and assist humans in the real world. Since 2011, the Statler College has made a name for itself in national robotics competitions like the NASA Sample Return Robot Challenge and the NASA Mars Ice Challenge.

Design Projects

• Concrete Canoe Competition: The Concrete Canoe Competition is a student-led competition hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Teams from across the nation and Canada design, build and race canoes made from concrete. The contest allows engineering students to apply what they have learned in a real-life situation while gaining functional teamwork skills. It also provides students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on practical experience while testing their skills with concrete mix designs and project management challenges. Read more about the canoe that landed WVU in third place during the 2018 regional competition .
• Design/Build/Fly: Students are tasked with designing and building a remote-controlled aircraft to perform specific missions. These aircraft then compete in the annual AIAA Foundation Design/Build/Fly (DBF) competition.
• EcoCAR: The EcoCAR Mobility Challenge tasks 11 universities across North America to redesign the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer into an energy-efficient hybrid with autonomous capabilities such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). First produced in 1969, the Chevy Blazer has seen many models and influenced the creation of others, including the Trailblazer and Tahoe. However, unlike the previous Blazer, this model is not based on a pickup truck platform. Serving as a counterpart to the GMC Acadia as a midsize SUV, it will be an option between the compact Equinox and the full-size Traverse. Featuring two-row seating, the Blazer will be a five-seat mid-size crossover SUV with options for a standard 2.5L 4-cylinder engine or an upgrade to 3.6L V6 engine and AWD. The Blazer will continue to provide the luxuries of an SUV but have an energy-efficient powertrain designed and installed by students. The goal is to optimize the driving performance and retain high safety and consumer standards while maintaining the promise of a “stylish utility vehicle”. The four-year competition began in Fall of 2018 and will conclude in the Spring of 2022. Teams compete annually to show how they have implemented their designs, energy-efficient technologies and connected and automated vehicle systems. Along with the technical challenges, teams are tasked with hosting and attending youth outreach events that encourage students to pursue STEM-related fields. Read more about current and past EcoCAR teams.
• Experimental Rocketry Team: The club's rocket is entirely designed and built by club members and made to fly to an altitude of 30,000 ft before deploying the "Scatter Sat" payload comprising multiple slow-descent data-gathering environmental sensors. Students showcase their rockets in the annual Spaceport America Cup international rocket competition. In the 2022 competition, the team had their first successful 30,000 foot competition flight, as well as its first fully functional scientific payload deployment. Watch Appalachian's Sunset's historic flight.
• Formula One: The WVU Mountaineer Racing team designs and builds highly competitive Formula SAE® race cars while preparing the next generation of transformative engineers and business leaders for the automotive industry including research, design, manufacturing, testing, marketing, management and finance. Mountaineer Racing competes in the Formula SAE® competition sponsored by SAE International® which challenges students from across the globe to design and fabricate Formula-style race cars for the non-professional weekend autocross racing enthusiast and compete in international collegiate racing competitions to determine the best overall design, performance, cost, fuel efficiency, and production feasibility. As a result, Formula One students are hotly recruited by companies in various industries.
• Microgravity Team: The participants are required to conceptualize, design, and develop experiments that are performed in microgravity conditions (parabolic flights-Zero G corporation). The program is multidisciplinary in nature and currently supported from research funding through the NASA Flight Opportunities program and MAE. The current (MRT 18) team focuses on in-space additive manufacturing research and successfully conducted two additive manufacturing experiments in microgravity in November 2021. The next flight campaign took place in May 2022.
• Student Steel Bridge Competition: The Student Steel Bridge Competition challenges students to design, fabricate and construct a conceptual scaled steel bridge to serve as a hypothetical wildlife crossing over an interstate. The competition is hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers and provides students with an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-life situation. The 2022 team won second place in this competition.
• WVU Robotics: This team has had several top placements in the last few years of NASA's Moon to Mars Ice Prospecting Challenge. The competition helps inform NASA's approach to future human space exploration and prompts college students to investigate, plan and analyze space exploration and design at different states of development. Learn more about the WVU Robotics team's placement in competitions over the last decade .