Through planning, cooperation and testing, MSU’s Formula SAE team will build a racecar that will compete against other colleges. The organization, formed this academic year, has high hopes and aspirations for the upcoming competition.

“It’s a huge program, and it wasn’t easy getting started,” Chris Paulson, mechanical engineering sophomore and executive director of FSAE, said.

Paulson was socializing with two friends, mechanical engineering seniors Trevor Snyder and Jacob Rowland, when he proposed that they start a Formula SAE team at MSU. They agreed to work together and started planning soon after. Along the way, the group picked up other members, like mechanical engineering and computer science junior Sharome Burton.

“A big forward step for me was when we actually toured University of Texas at Arlington,” Burton said. “We actually got to see the cars in action and got our hands on them. That was what really sparked my full commitment to the cause.”

Over time, the organization gained more members, sponsors and faculty support, reaching its current state. The team has been putting in numerous hours of labor to get the car ready for competition. Over 30 members have contributed to the project, and 10 are intensely involved.

“It’s an incredibly demanding program, but the rewarding feeling you get whenever you see something…you’ve built on the computer and now is here in front of you…it’s a bit surreal,” Paulson said.

The team is working on a Formula One style car that will compete against other colleges in three aspects: a non-moving test, a moving test and a business proposal test. On the engineering side, the team splits its workload across teams focusing on subsystems of the car. For example, Snyder is head of suspension, Burton is head of chassis and ergonomics and Rowland is head of safety. Meanwhile, other members focus on the business test, preparing marketing and working with sponsors to maintain a budget for the engineers.

“What [you’re] going to do in a workplace is work together with other parts of the business world, the marketing world, and other engineers…you’re going to end up being a cohesive unit to make a product,” Snyder said.

Formula SAE is looking to provide these experiences not only to engineering students, but all fields. It offers opportunities similar to those found at internships and workplaces while being on campus.

“[FSAE] is as real as you can get, as far as engineering experience goes, without actually being in a professional workplace,” Paulson said.

Being executive director of FSAE landed Paulson an internship with Gulf States Toyota in Houston. He and his teammates believe that the organization will allow future members to find similar benefits.

“My CAD skills have grown leaps and bounds since joining MSU FSAE,” Burton said. “Designing parts that will be unique to our car has been the biggest catalyst to building that skillset, more so than any course I’ve had so far.”

MSU’s Formula SAE team will be visiting Michigan from May 18 to May 21 to compete with their completed car. Before then, there will be an unveiling for the finished car to come in the next couple of months. Jacob Rowland expressed his excitement as a part of the program.

“I looked at this as an opportunity to invest in myself and invest into a program that’s the first of its kind at the university,” Rowland said.