

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
Sensor-Enabled Security & Readiness Monitoring
Today, installations and critical facilities face growing operational and security demands. The ability to monitor assets remotely and generate actionable intelligence has never been greater to sustaining mission readiness. -
- Webinar
Successful Microgrid Projects for Dept. of War
This webinar shares practices which are proven to provide successful outcomes on Garrison (fixed) microgrid projects for the Department of Defense (Department of War). Based on real-world expertise, the presenter will discuss various perspectives including that of supplier, integrator, microgrid owner, and specifier.
Related TME Articles – College Outreach
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Protecting Pearl Harbor’s Marine Environment From Aquatic Invasive Species
Extensive spread of invasive octocoral was discovered along the bottom of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, prompted the U.S. Navy established a multi-agency task force to research and carry out the eradication effort in protection of the delicate island ecosystem. -
Committed to Long-Term Stewardship
With responsibility for the oversight of legacy environmental sites across the nation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management utilizes a variety of resources and best practices to protect human health and the environment, engage with a diverse group of stakeholders, and educate and inform the public. -
Setting Standards For the Future at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The renovation for Dry Dock 4 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, utilized advanced 3D and scale modeling to guide the design choices that would prepare the facility for another 50 years of service while meeting increased standards for resiliency and redundancy. -
Improving NAVFAC’s Facilities Construction Community
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command has implemented a series of process improvements across its construction workforce to increase recruitment, validate and standardize mastery of processes and procedures, and recognize accomplishments of personnel.