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.
Executive Community Structure
Vice Chairs
Danielle Hughes, Communications
Jeffrey Allen, Academia Engagement
Staff Liaison
Sarah Feighery, Program Manager
2026 SAME Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge
Submissions for the 2025-26 SAME Undergraduate Innovation Design Challenge are due by February 6, 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 ChallengeUpcoming National Webinars
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- Webinar
The Hidden Cost: Why Schedule is the Biggest MILCON Premium
Military construction (MILCON) cost discussions often focus on dollars per square foot, but one of the most significant portion of the overall cost is time. Every month added to a project can increase costs through -
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AI as Load Shock: Rethinking Energy Security and Mission Assurance
The rapid expansion of AI computing, electrification, and mission-critical digital infrastructure is fundamentally altering the energy security landscape. While AI is often discussed as a software capability or data challenge, its most immediate national security impact is physical: unprecedented, concentrated, and inflexible electrical demand that stresses grid infrastructure and traditional resilience assumptions.
Related TME Articles – College Outreach
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Relationships, Resiliency, and Readiness: Increasing Interoperability Through Combined Joint Engineering Operations
The annual base defense exercise at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni brought together engineering forces across the Indo-Pacific, along with members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces, to gain bilateral training, forge relationships, and increase interoperability in a joint environment. -
Assessing Mobile Nuclear Reactor Usage in the Pacific
A research team at the Air Force Institute of Technology carried out a lifecycle assessment of the environmental impacts, operational viability, and logistical considerations of mobile nuclear reactors in the Indo-Pacific. -
Deploying Renewable Generation Through Small-Scale Hydropower
A field demonstration and ongoing investigation of modular hydrokinetic turbines by the U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory illustrates the potential applicability for using the technology on military deployments. -
Driving Resilience Decisions Through Better Data
The Air Force Office of Energy Assurance is demonstrating how a new iteration of resilience assessments can better target and quantify potential vulnerabilities in energy security—bolstering national defense by supporting more informed decisions on resilience improvements at installations.
