Graduate students in the school of polytechnic studies created the foundation for a new student chapter of the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering.

As a result of the new organization, students with varying polytechnic backgrounds will have a resource for collaborating projects and events, and it will give the students a network of support.

Sherry Styingly, graduate assistant and cofounder of the chapter, said she first got involved after going to the 2014 ATMAE annual conference with Dr. Sophia Scott and instructor Belinda McMurry.

"When I came back, I was able to talk [to] our 606 class ..." Styingly said. [Sahith Sanike] had heard about ATMAE before, and we started talking about trying to get an organization together."

A new student chapter of ATMAE will offer chances to network between universities and host events such as competitions, Styingly said.

"This gives a way, I think, and this is what [the founders] have talked about, a way to unite the community since we're all under the program, a way to unite us as one and give us a foundation to come together," Styingly said.

Sanike, another co-founder, said that the new chapter will give students access to professionals and employment.

"Once this starts, we're planning to actually to invite guest speakers..." Sanike said. "and [they will give] lectures as to how the professional society looks like for a graduate student once he's out of the college and what kind of opportunities does he have once he [leaves]," Sanike said.

Southeast Missouri State University is currently accredited by ATMAE and the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, but a student chapter of ATMAE has never existed at Southeast. Sanike said that this is especially true for graduate students who do not have many professional organizations at the industrial and engineering technology department.

As an instructor with Southeast's polytechnic program, McMurry said that she believes the increased number of graduate students combined with Scott teaching new classes that involve relevant research is the reason why now is the time for the new ATMAE chapter to be founded as opposed to past years. The research requirement for graduate students also makes the graduate program the best place to start this organization according to McMurry.

While working on renewing Southeast's accreditation for ATMAE and ABET, Styingly, Sanike, Geethanjali Ghddam acquired Scott as their professional sponsor and gathered the six minimum students required by ATMAE. Styingly said the next step is going through the process required by the university for starting a new organization.

ATMAE also requires that each of the members of the new student chapter be members of ATMAE at a cost of $25 per year. There are currently four confirmed members that met Feb. 20 to discuss the 2015 ATMAE conference, but Sanike has four other friends that are willing to go through the steps needed to make the minimum requirement, Styingly said.

The founding students are currently working on submitting the work that they are doing as a part of their curriculum with the university to ATMAE for a chance to present at the 2015 ATMAE conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Definitely, we'll end up doing it this semester, and for sure this semester we will witness an ATMAE student chapter here at Southeast," Sanike said. "We're actually sewing the seeds it's just putting the water on them and letting them grow."