Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge Networking Mixer: November 1

The 2024-25 NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge has officially begun. This year, twenty-four schools are participating, including two new institutions: Colorado School of Mines and the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering. The Kick-Off webinar attracted a record attendance of 175 participants, including students, advisors, and industry members. Many teams have already begun working on their vehicles, downloading resources from the NFPA Foundation website and talking to the program’s technical liaisons.

A virtual networking mixer is planned for Friday, November 1^st at 1 PM CDT. We encourage mentors, sponsors, judges, and HR professionals to attend this event to engage with students participating in the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge and Fluid Power Clubs. This networking opportunity will enable HR representatives to interact with small groups of students, providing an ideal platform to share information about their companies and current job openings. The mixer will be conducted via Zoom.

Students participating in the Vehicle Challenge gain knowledge and hands-on experience with fluid power components, circuits, and systems and their use in controlling force and motion. Participating Pascal Society Donors will benefit from enhanced visibility through this virtual format and will have exclusive access to student resumes prior to the event. This presents an excellent opportunity for NFPA members to engage with aspiring engineers early in the academic year, many of whom secure employment well before graduation. Now is the optimal time for recruitment.

The following universities are participating in this year’s Vehicle Challenge program.

• Cal Poly State University
• Cleveland State University
• Colorado School of Mines
• FAMU-FSU School of Engineering
• Iowa State University
• Kennesaw State University
• Michigan Technological University
• Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Minnesota State University Mankato
• Murray State University
• North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
• Northern Illinois University
• Purdue University
• Purdue University Northwest
• State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
• South Dakota State University
• Tennessee State University
• Texas A&M University
• University of Akron
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• University of Utah
• Western Michigan University

For further details and to register for the Networking Mixer please contact Mary Pluta at mpluta@nfpa.com.

Participation in the Vehicle Challenge Program is a benefit available exclusively to Pascal Society donors. You can check whether your company is already a donor here. NFPA members who are not current donors are invited to participate on a one-time basis to experience the program firsthand and discover the benefits of involvement.