College Outreach Community

College Outreach COI

Community Mission

The College Outreach Community leads collaborative efforts between SAME and academia to identify and resolve national security infrastructure-related challenges and supports Post’s efforts to mentor and develop future STEM professionals at the collegiate-level. The community serves as a bridge between academia, Posts, government (military and civilian), and the private sector. The community provides guidance to the network of student chapters across the Society, promotes internship opportunities from SAME sustaining members, and will establish a new engineering competition for students designed to address the nation’s grand challenges.

Overview

The SAME College Outreach Community strives to organize programs and present opportunities to future military and civilian members of the A/E/C profession that will foster networking within their professional community, build leadership skills, and provide job opportunities to recent graduates. Additionally, students with an active membership within SAME have at their disposal a wealth of knowledge and experiences from professionals throughout the A/E/C community of practice.

Community Leaders
SAME College Outreach COI Chair: Chris Poulos

Community Chair

Chris Poulos
Director Of Business Development, Akima, LLC

Past Chair
Marilyn Zenko

Community Structure
Executive Community Structure

Vice Chairs 
Danielle Hughes, Communications
Jeffrey Allen, Academia Engagement

Staff Liaison
Sarah Feighery, Program Manager


Submissions for the 2025-26 SAME Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge are due by February 26, 2026. This competition, led by the College Outreach COI, evaluates design projects that are being developed by student members as part of their degree curriculums and highlights the innovative thinking of the next generation of STEM professionals.

Learn more about the Innovation Design Challenge

Upcoming National Webinars