Black & Decker/DeWalt gifts boost SAE students

Eric Kaler (center right), Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering and dean of the College of Engineering, and Thomas Buchanan (center left), professor and chairperson of mechanical engineering, check out the power tools donated to UD by DeWalt in the design lab where UD students members of the Society of Automotive Engineers are building their race car.

9:52 a.m., March 22, 2007--Black & Decker/DeWalt Co., the world's largest producer of power tools and accessories, has donated funding to UD's College of Engineering and power tools to UD's student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Michael Vaughan, senior assistant dean of engineering, said the company donated $10,000 to support student organizational efforts in the engineering college and $2,000-$3,000 worth of power tools.

Each year, UD's SAE builds a race car and competes in regional and national events against other universities, and Vaughan said Black & Decker/DeWalt also may provide technical guidance during the competition.

Sam Woods, senior engineering manager for DeWalt Motor Controls & Mature Products, was the main coordinator of the gift to the engineering college and SAE. “It is our pleasure to support this quality engineering environment at UD,” Woods said. “Our emphasis is on engineering programs at colleges and universities that align well with our corporate recruiting and training philosophies.”

Vaughan said he worked with the company and the engineering college faculty, staff and students to facilitate the new support. “For some time this company has recruited some of our very best and brightest students with the assistance of our Bank of America Career Services Center (CSC),” Vaughan said. “When Dave Berilla, CSC associate director, referred Woods to me, I sensed that it was time to take the next step. This gift is tangible evidence of our growing partnership.”

Dean Kaler (seated, center) and Prof. Buchanan (seated, left) receive Black & Decker/DeWalt’s $10,000 donation from Sam Woods (seated, right), senior engineering manager for DeWalt Motor Controls & Mature Products. Standing are (left to right) 2003 UD engineering grad Jason Leh, a DeWalt project engineer, Steven Timmins, SAE faculty adviser, and Michael Vaughan, senior assistant dean of engineering.

SAE has more than 90,000 members, including engineers, business executives, educators and students from more than 97 countries, who share information and exchange ideas for advancing the engineering of mobility systems. SAE is a significant resource for standards development, events, technical information and expertise used in designing, building, maintaining and operating self-propelled vehicles. UD's SAE chapter was established in 1996, and, while it is managed and advised by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the organization consists of UD students from a variety of disciplines.

Eric Kaler, Elizabeth Inez Kelley Professor of Chemical Engineering and dean of the College of Engineering, said the company is a great connection for the college and its students. “The Black & Decker/DeWalt brand is well-known in the marketplace for quality, durability and value and we are pleased to now provide them an opportunity to contribute these same corporate attributes to our educational enterprise,” Kaler said. “This is the continuation of a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Thomas Buchanan, professor and chairperson of mechanical engineering, said the partnership with the company has given the student SAE team the boost it needs to be even more competitive. “When spectators at the SAE events see our race car go by, they will see the DeWalt decal proudly displayed.” Buchanan said. “Although, if we have our way it will be a blur at best.”

With corporate headquarters in Towson, Md., Black & Decker is a global marketer and manufacturer of quality products used in and around the home and for commercial applications. It also is a major supplier of information systems and services to government and commercial clients worldwide. With products marketed in more than 100 countries and approximately half of its revenue from outside the United States, Black & Decker's product lines hold leading market share positions in their industries.

Photos by Kathy Atkinson

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