2025/26 Student Team Sponsorship Winners

SAE BC hosted its annual Student Project Showcase Night on November 24, 2026. We had a great turnout at the UBC Vancouver campus with 7 student design teams joining from across the province. Thank you to the following teams for presenting on the teamwork and creativity involved in developing mission ready vehicles. 

• BCIT Racing
• UBC AeroDesign
• UBC Formula
• UBC Formula Electric
• UBC Okanagan MotorSports
• UBC Baja
• UVic Formula Racing

We would like to congratulate the winners of the Student Team Sponsorship. The following teams best portrayed their past activities, current designs, future goals, and the value of their project to the student members.

1st place $1600 Award: UBC Formula Electric
2nd place $1000 Award: UBC AeroDesign
3rd place $600 Award: UVic Formula Racing
4th place $500 Award: UBC Formula
5th place $400 Award: UBC Okanagan MotorSports
6th place $300 Award: BCIT Racing
7th place $300 Award: UBC Baja

Check out the slides from our last event (Gregory Peterson)!

 https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16l8konj1Ak-X2WvKek293CgTJnwUw0Cx/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=101458297837519883988&rtpof=true&sd=true

SAE BC Guest Speaker - Mr. Gregory Peterson on Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics and Cognitive Efficiency

On Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:00 pm PST, SAE BC will be hosting guest speaker, Mr. Gregory Peterson to provide a "2 for 1" lecture on the fundamentals of vehicle dynamics and cognitive efficiency. This event will be held at UBC Vancouver campus and also online via Webex.

Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

Mr. Gregory Peterson is the CTO and Chief Engineer for Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), a Detroit, Michigan aerospace company commercializing an eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft. As an automotive and aerospace engineer, he has worked at Pontiac Product Engineering, DaimlerChrysler Street and Racing Technologies (SRT) and Lotus Engineering. His aerospace experience spans over a decade and includes ICON and ASX. He also raced a Formula Vee and was part of Herb Adams’ NASCAR (Pontiac Grand Am) race team.

Mr. Peterson currently holds sixteen patents in multi-disciplinary fields and has been published by the SAE, IMechE, the International Appliance Technical Conference and Purdue University as well as numerous magazines. He has written and presented over 50 technical studies and has spoken at and chaired national and international engineering conferences. He has been a keynote speaker for multiple organizations, including NASA. He is an SAE guest lecturer and regularly presents to university SAE race teams.

Mr. Peterson will focus on two key topics:

1. Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics – A Primer For Improving Lap Times
2. Improving Cognitive Efficiency

He will cover the basic forces that act on an automobile and their relevance to a race car. Including a review of the fundamental physics that affect top speed and acceleration and covers basic suspension design. And also cover chassis and suspension design principles and composite panel design.

This will be an excellent lecture for student design teams and all performance enthusiasts. Join us in welcoming Mr. Peterson!

Pizza and drinks will be provided, admission will be $5 for SAE professionals and students and $10 for non-SAE professionals and students. Admission is payable via e-transfer to dmusil@mac.com or cash during the event. Please pay the admission via e-transfer ahead of the event to help us run the event smoothly!

1 week away! SAE BC Guest Speaker - Dr. Jay Zhou on Reliability of Autonomous and Electric Vehicles

Sign up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

📅 DATE: Monday, May 5th, 2025
⏰ TIME: 6:00PM PST
🗺️ VENUE: UBC Vancouver Campus - MacLeod Building Room 2002
2356 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3

SAE BC will be hosting guest speaker, Dr. Jay Zhou to provide a "2 for 1" lecture on the reliability of autonomous and electric vehicles.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Jay Zhou, CTO at JHZ Strategic QA is recognized as a distinguished SAE Fellow and Mentor, as well as an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Fellow. He has worked at Ford Motor Company gaining a wealth of global experience in quality and new product launch. Dr. Zhou held various leadership roles, including VP of Ford Asia Pacific, Corporate Executive Technical Leader, and Asia Pacific and Africa Reliability Manager. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Michigan.

Dr. Zhou's contributions extend beyond corporate leadership, as evidenced by his publication of over 30 technical papers and the attainment of a US patent in the field of vehicle durability. He has engaged as a keynote speaker and panelist at various conferences and trained over 15,000 engineers in more than 20 countries. His accolades include being honored as the ASQ Quality Professional of the Year in 2009, receiving the ASQ Testimonial Award twice, and being the recipient of the Taguchi Robust Design award three times.

POSTPONED: SAE BC Guest Speaker - Gregory Peterson on Paradigm Shifts in Transportation Technology

Dear SAE BC chapter members, due to unforeseen circumstances we have to postpone our event (Gregory Peterson on Paradigm Shifts in Transportation Technology) in April to the fall. Please stay tuned to our next event in May!

SAE BC Guest Speaker - Gregory Peterson on Paradigm Shifts in Transportation Technology

On Monday, April 14th at 6:00 pm PST, SAE BC will be hosting guest speaker, Mr. Gregory Peterson to provide a presentation covering paradigm shifts in transportation technology and their impact on the supply chain. This event will be held at UBC Vancouver campus room CEME 1203 and also online via Webex.

Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

Mr. Gregory Peterson is the CTO at Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) and an SAE Series Speaker. His presentation will start with an historic overview of the transportation industry and its impact on the supply chain network. It will include examples of timelines for new technologies to emerge and replace mature products. Using this background, parallels to today's evolving markets will be reviewed.
 
Mr. Peterson will focus on three paradigm technology shifts in transportation today:

1. The transition to substantially more efficient vehicles;
2. The shift from human control to electronic vehicle control;
3. The shift from 2D transpiration to 3D transportation.

He will cover emerging market sectors including EVs and electric aircraft using the eASX Sigma Six as an example. He will also include basic math models describing how lightweight materials costing more than base materials can ultimately reduce electric aircraft costs while improving range.

2024/25 Student Team Sponsorship Winners

SAE BC hosted its annual Student Project Showcase Night at the end of November. We had a great turnout at the UBC Vancouver campus with 8 student design teams joining from across the province. Thank you to the following teams for presenting on the teamwork and creativitity involved in developing mission ready vehicles. 

• BCIT Racing
• SFU Team Phantom
• UBC AeroDesign
• UBC Formula
• UBC Formula Electric
• UBC Okanagan MotorSports
• UVic Formula Hybrid
• UVic Formula Racing

We would like to congratulate the winners of the Student Team Sponsorship. The following teams best portrayed their past activities, current designs, future goals, and the value of their project to the student members.

1^st place $1000 Award: UVic Formula Hybrid 
2^nd place $600 Award: UBC Formula Electric
3^rd place $400 Award: UBC Okanagan MotorSports
 

Good luck to all of these teams participating in the SAE Collegiate Design Series this year!

SAE BC Student Project Showcase Night

On Monday, November 25th at 6:00 pm PST, SAE BC will be hosting SAE student teams at the UBC Vancouver campus and online via Webex. Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org

SAE student Collegiate Design Series teams from the region will be showcasing their latest projects. Whether these teams are building mision ready performance cars, or high payload airplanes, they exhibit excellent teamwork to tackle today's mobility related challenges. Each year, SAE BC invites students from UBC, SFU, BCIT and UVIC to present their projects and compete for monetary sponsorship prizes. This will be a great opportunity for industry members to learn about student technical projects and network with the next generation of automotive engineers. The connections you build here could be a valuable addition to your company.

In past years, we have had participation from the following teams and we hope to see them again.

• Formula SAE UBC
• UBC Formula Electric
• UBC OK Motorsports
• UBC Aero Design
• SFU Formula SAE Electric
• BCIT Racing
• UVIC Racing

Pizza and drinks will be provided. There is an admission fee for all in-person attendees:

• $5 for SAE professionals and students 
• $10 for non-SAE professionals and students. 

Admission is payable via e-transfer or cash during the event. Please pay the admission via e-transfer ahead of the event to help us run the event smoothly. Doors open at 6:00pm and presentations will begin at 6:30pm PST.

VENUE: UBC Vancouver Campus and online via Webex;

Room 2002, MacLeod Building 2356 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 

Our Last Event, Tour at International Submarine Engineering

 SAE BC would like to thank ISE and Don Muth, Senior Technical Advisor for hosting our last in-person event. Located in Port Coquitlam, ISE has been developing subsea vehicles and terrestrial robotics for the last 50 years. We learned about the complex engineering projects ISE has taken on in marine technology and robotic systems. The event included a walkthrough tour of ISE’s iconic marine platforms.

Modularity of the Explorer AUV makes it ideal for scientific missions that require an array of payload sensors.


Semi-submersible vehicle designed for high speed and long range operation that was in service with the Canadian Department of National Defence.    



Theseus AUV used for laying long lengths of fiber optic cable under the Artic ice pack.

May 2024: International Submarine Engineering Tour

On Monday, May 27th at 6:00pm, SAE BC will be hosting an in-person tour at International Submarine Engineering (ISE) – a world leader in the design and integration of AUV, ROV, and subsea solutions.

Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

Don Muth, Senior Technical Advisor at ISE will be presenting on the company's history, products and services. There will also be a shop tour to showcase ISE's fabrication, assembly and testing facilities. This event will be limited to a maximum of 25 participants, with 9 spots left, so please sign up soon!

Pizza and drinks will be provided. There is an admission fee for all attendees:

• $5 for SAE professionals and students 
• $10 for non-SAE professionals and students.

Admission is payable via e-transfer cash during the event. There will be parking on site. 

🗓️ DATE: Monday, May 27th, 2024

⏰ TIME: 6:00PM

✍️ Sign-up: register.saebritishcolumbia.org

📍 VENUE: 1734 Broadway St, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 2M8

2024 SAE BC Tour at New Flyer

On Tuesday, April 9th at 6:00 pm, SAE BC will be hosting an in-person tour at New Flyer – the leading transit bus manufacturer in North America! This tour will also be broadcasted online via Webex.

Event location: First Truck Centre Vancouver & Surrey 18688 96 Ave, Surrey, BC V4N 3P9

Please enter the facility from the Service area. There will be parking on site, along with signage and an attendant to guide you. The presentation will be hosted in the "Driver's Waiting Lounge".  

Pizza and drinks will be provided. There is an admission fee for all attendees:

• $5 for SAE professionals and students 
• $10 for non-SAE professionals and students. 

Admission is payable via e-transfer or cash during the event.

Registration will close at midnight on Sunday, April 7th. 

Check out our 2023/24 Student Project Showcase Night Winners! 1st place: FORMULA UBC. 2nd place: BCIT RACING. 3rd place: UBCO. Congratulations to all these teams! 🎉. We'd also like to shoutout our other participants: UBC AERO, UBC FORMULA "E", UBCO, UVIC HYBRID, and UVIC RACING. Thank you all and we hope to see you again next year! This felt like our largest event so far!

SAE BC Student Project Showcase Night

🗓️ DATE: Monday, November 27th, 2023

TIME: 6:30PM

✍️ Sign-up: register.saebritishcolumbia.org

VENUE: UBC Vancouver Campus - Room 2002, 2356 Main Mall, Macleod Building (also available online, link will be provided)

On Monday, November 27th at 6:30 pm PST, SAE BC will be hosting SAE student teams at the UBC Vancouver campus and online via Webex. Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

SAE student Collegiate Design Series teams from the region will be showcasing their latest projects. Whether these teams are building mision ready performance cars, or high payload airplanes, they exhibit excellent teamwork to tackle today's mobility related challenges. Each year, SAE BC invites students from UBC, SFU, BCIT and UVIC to present their projects and compete for monetary sponsorship prizes. This will be a great opportunity for industry members to learn about student technical projects and network with the next generation of automotive engineers. The connections you build here could be a valuable addition to your company.

In past years, we have had participation from the following teams and we hope to see them again.

* Formula SAE UBC
* UBC Formula Electric
* UBC Supermileage
* UBC Baja
* UBC Aero Design
* SFU Formula SAE Electric
* BCIT Racing
* UVIC Racing

SAE BC Speaker Series: "Biomimicry: Sustainable Designs Inspired by Nature"

On Mon, Sep 25th, 2023 @ 6:00 pm PST SAE BC will host Amanda Nummy at the UBC campus in MacLeod room 2002 for her presentation on "Biomimicry: Sustainable Designs Inspired by Nature". Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org! The event will also be available online via Webex, the Webex link will be emailed to online attendees the day before the event.

Abstract: Nature has been solving problems and refining solutions for 3.8 billion years. Humans can leverage the vast knowledge of nature as a model to design efficient and sustainable products, infrastructure, and processes. This methodology can be useful for students and professionals across a variety of industries. The lecture will cover the following key points:

• What is biomimicry
• How and why we can use it
• The benefits of multi-disciplinary design teams
• Case studies of biological strategies emulated in biomimetic applications
• A short brainstorming or scoping activity
• Several resources and tools to add to your design thinking

Bio: Amanda Nummy is a senior polymer materials engineer with a decade of experience in the automotive industry, specializing in alternative energy and sustainable materials. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Polymer, Textile, and Fiber Engineering from Georgia Tech, a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Wayne State University, and a master’s degree in Biomimicry through Arizona State University. She works at the Hyundai America Technical Center outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. In her current role, she is responsible for plant support and new application development of all plastic components in North and South America, and leads several global collaborations for hydrogen fuel cells and electric vehicle development. Previously, she has worked on research and product development for hydrogen fuel cells, biomedical devices, specialty textiles, nanomaterials and quantum computing. She has an interest in alternative energy, sustainability, and the prevention of plastic waste in the oceans.

Directions to the venue are available on Google Maps under this address: Macleod Bldg, 2356 Main Mall. Food and drinks will be provided, admission will be $5 for SAE professionals and students and $10 (payable in cash on the day of the event) for non-SAE professionals and students.

SAE Speaker Series: "Part Design and Manufacturing by Reverse Engineering"

SAE Speaker Series: "Part Design and Manufacturing by Reverse Engineering"

On Mon, April 24, 6:00pm PST, SAE BC will host Wego Wang. He will present his "Part Design and Manufacturing by Reverse Engineering" topic. This event will be freely available online via Webex; sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

Reverse engineering is becoming a common and acceptable practice utilized by many part suppliers in aftermarket as well as the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for repairs in recent years. This presentation focuses on the application of modern technologies used to reinvent the design details and manufacturing processes of an existing part in the absence of original design data. It introduces reverse engineering from both engineering development and legal ratification perspectives. It emphasizes the real-life practice of reverse engineering in the industry with illustrative demonstration.

SAE BC Event Summary: Dipale Ghodake "Aeroacoustics Problems and Modelling Challenges in Electric Vehicles"

On 13Mar2023 Dr. Dipali Ghodake, who’s mission is to “…make the world free from unwanted noises and achieve more peaceful, quiet, and calm life for everyone”, graciously provided a presentation surrounding her lifelong work relating to vehicles aeroacoustics. The event was a virtual one for SAE BC, giving our members from out of town , along with sister chapters in nearby regions, a chance to participate. Dr. Ghodake’s covered a range of highly technical topics regarding vehicle acoustics modeling, including the importance of modeling and testing to confirm the accuracy of models that solve complex Navier stokes equations and more.

by Colin Keddie, P.Eng, MBA

SAE BC Chair

SAE SoCal: Scorpion EV: Creators of the 100% Electric Cobra Tribute Car March 9th @ 6PM PT

Scorpion EV, a company that is designing and manufacturing Cobra tribute cars that are 100% electric. Utilizing a Tesla S performance powertrain, Scorpion EV is packaging over 600hp in a 2,600lb roadster to achieve incredible acceleration and 400-mile range. In this talk Bill will talk about x-ray inspection, electric cars, and entrepreneurship. Register now! https://saesocal-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RpOV281oS9q1GZCQuEcddg

About the Speakers
Dr. Bill Cardoso founded Creative Electron in his Carlsbad garage in 2008. Bill and his team grew the company from a garage startup to the largest US manufacturer of X-ray machines. Located in San Marcos, CA, Creative Electron designs and manufactures X-ray inspection systems used to check the quality of medical devices, electronic boards, golf balls, and many other industries. 
Following on the success at Creative Electron, Bill founded (back in his garage) Scorpion EV, a company that is designing and manufacturing Cobra tribute cars that are 100% electric. Utilizing a Tesla S performance powertrain, Scorpion EV is packaging over 600hp in a 2,600lb roadster to achieve incredible acceleration and 400-mile range. In this talk Bill will discuss the intersection between electric cars and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Karen Salvaggio brings a wealth of motorsports, education, and leadership experience to any project. A military veteran and master mechanic, Karen served in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief on B-52 and KC-135 aircraft. After nine successful years, she left the military, and secured her advanced education.
A gearhead at heart, Karen began her career in automotive and motorsports while still in the military. She currently serves as a business development consultant for Scorpion-EV, a company that engineers and builds EV powered MKIV Cobra Roadsters (Factory Five Racing platform) based on the Tesla Model S. Karen also holds Master Instructor certification as a driving coach, and when she's not racing or performance driving, she teaches advanced race craft to licensed racers.

SAE Speaker Series: "Aeroacoustics Problems and Modelling Challenges in Electric Vehicles"

On March 13th, 2023 @ 6:00 pm PST, SAE BC will host Dipali Ghodake. She will present her topic "Aeroacoustics Problems and Modelling Challenges in Electric Vehicles". This event will be available online via Webex for free. Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org

Abstract:

The presentation introduces a brief history of noise generation by Lighthill acoustics analogy and its extension. Different solver approach such as Navier-Stokes and Lattice Boltzmann method, their modelling challenges are discussed. Then, various flow induced noise sources in electric vehicles and their modelling techniques are showcased with examples. In summary, this presentation gives the overview of problems in the automotive industry and unveils the skills required to become an aeroacoustics expert.

Thank you to our student teams and organizers for a great event!

We had a great student night showcase last month! Thank you to our organizers and the student teams (UBC Formula, BCIT Racing, UBC Aero design, UVIC Formula, and UBC Super mileage) for presenting! The board will assess the submissions and announce our winners soon. See you next year!

SAE BC: Student Night Showcase and Competition

On November 21st at 6:00 pm PST, SAE BC will be hosting SAE student teams at the UBC Vancouver campus and online via Webex. Sign-up now at register.saebritishcolumbia.org!

After 2 years of online-only meetings, we are pleased to announce we will be hosting our first in-person event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. SAE student teams from UBC, SFU, UVIC as well as BCIT will present their projects and compete for SAE BC sponsorship prizes. Please consider coming out to see interesting technical projects, speak to the next generation of automotive engineers, and search for potential new hires!

UBC Formula

As many of you may know the Society of Automotive Engineers puts on yearly collegiate competitions to challenge and train students for their professional careers. In BC, a variety of vehicles are designed by approximately 10 teams across 5 educational institutions. The 2020 and 2021 SAE seasons were unusual for student teams in BC with all teams suspending in-person work on their vehicles and moving to an online competition model. The main struggles associated with online operations included keeping members engaged in their work and attending weekly meetings. At the beginning of the 2022 season, hopes were high that teams would once again be returning to competing in person however a few of the team leads realized the challenges of building vehicles after an 18-month break. 2 classes of students have graduated during the pandemic causing teams to lose lots of hands-on knowledge. The ongoing pandemic also created further hurdles such as border shutdowns, school closures and various safety protocols. Even with these obstacles, however, many teams were able to assemble their vehicles on time and attend competitions! 

UBC Supermileage

For teams who attended, competitions were generally a lot of fun. In the paddock, students had a chance to present their designs, chat with other teams, network with industry professionals and even interview for work positions! On the track, things rarely went as planned and many repairs & alterations had to be done with various levels of success. Overall the events were great learning experiences which inspired many to continue their education and get more involved. Following an eventful competition season, students are eager to compete again and are hard at work building their 2023 machines. They would like to share their experiences and future plans with the rest of the BC SAE community on November 21st during this year's student night. They hope to see you there!

UVic Formula