Society of Automotive Engineers Establishes New SAE Alabama Section

Alabama group first new SAE chapter established in 12 years

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 4 -- The International Sections Board of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has formally approved the formation of the professional organization's first new section in 12 years -- SAE Alabama Section.

"With the growth of the automotive and motorsports industries in Alabama, and the number of engineers and technicians already involved the space and heavy truck industries here, clearly the time was right to establish a new SAE section," said Brian Taylor, manager of local units, SAE, in Warrendale, Penn. "This group really came together on its own, and because of the enthusiasm and leadership, they have accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time."

SAE International is a professional organization for engineers, scientists, technicians, business professionals, educators and college students working within the mobility field. Including the new SAE Alabama Section, there are now 56 SAE chapters in North America, with more than 83,000 members worldwide. Approximately 150 SAE members work in Alabama, some holding local memberships with regional SAE sections based in Tennessee and Georgia.

"We expect this new section will also draw members from other states in the Southeast as well, in the same way our members have held memberships in other SAE sections," said Don Coker, President of Intelligent Products and Systems, Inc., in Birmingham, who serves as the acting Chairman of SAE Alabama Section. Michael Johns, vice president of the Engineering Division at Southern Research Institute, serves as acting treasurer. Other members of the core planning committee included Rod Boyes (Melior), Chuck Ernst (Honda Manufacturing of Alabama), John Hall (Webb Wheel Products), Andreas Jocham (ISE), Peter Jones (Auburn University), Dan Kelley (Roden), Will Sutton (University of Alabama), and Jesse Williams (Harley Davidson).

Those interested can learn more by visiting the SAE Alabama Section website at www.sae.org (click on Sections and Global Activities), or by contacting Lisa White at 205-581-2532.

The final organizational planning meeting was held March 30 at the Engineering Research Center at Southern Research Institute. The first official SAE Alabama Section meeting and recruitment event is being planned for May 26, with the election for new officers planned in June.

About SAE International

SAE International is a not-for-profit educational and scientific organization dedicated to advancing mobility technology to better serve humanity. Over 83,000 engineers and scientists, who are SAE members, develop technical information on all forms of self-propelled vehicles including automobiles, trucks and buses, off-highway equipment, aircraft, aerospace vehicles, marine, rail, and transit systems. SAE disseminates this information through its meetings, books, technical papers, magazines, standards, reports, professional development programs, and electronic databases.

Media Contact: Rhonda Jung, Southern Research Institute, 205-581-2317, jung@sri.org