Cal State LA, College of ECST has an array of opportunities for students to get involved, explore new interests, and have fun. Joining a student club or organization is a great way to connect with other students, develop as a leader and positively impact the community and beyond. Take a look at the list below and contact the organization or club directly to start your adventure.
Activity Calendar
AAAE American Association of Airport Executives
The American Association of Airport Executives is to aid organizational members in furthering their careers and to prepare students to make effective contributions to the aviation industry through internships, seminars, airport tours, guest speakers, and other activities. To establish and develop interchange of information and experience in the development, maintenance, and operations of airports with the national organization and with other Student Chapters. To encourage professionalism in the administration of airports through the acquisition of knowledge. To establish both social and business relationships with people in the field of airport management and its allied professions. To represent airports and the airport management profession and to cooperate with other on-campus organizations for the general benefit of aviation. Click to learn more about AAAE.
ACM Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing field's premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources. Click to learn more about ACM.
ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward building a better quality of life. Its world headquarters is in Reston, Virginia. Click to learn more about ASCE.
AISC American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) is a non-profit organization established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC provides a complimentary resource for design and construction professions such as steel fabricators, architects, owners, developers, and other construction professionals. The organization gives students the opportunity to design and fabricate a steel bridge. Click for more information on AISC.
ASME The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is a non-profit organization founded in 1880 nationwide, and a student chapter was recently established at California State University Los Angeles in 2005. ASME is a multidisciplinary engineering organization that empowers students to succeed in their careers by providing an opportunity for professional growth, networking, and hands-on learning experience. Click for more information on ASME.
Battery Workforce Challenge
The Battery Workforce Challenge is a three-year student competition, from Fall 2023 to Fall 2026, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Stellantis, and Argonne National Laboratory. In this competition, twelve universities and vocational schools from North America compete to design, build, test, and integrate an advanced electric vehicle (EV) battery pack into a production Stellantis vehicle. This challenge is designed to train the next generation of engineers and vocational specialists in EV battery technology beyond the classrooms, allowing students to gain invaluable engineering, manufacturing, and battery testing skills while practicing cross-discipline collaboration. Universities and vocational schools will build authentic, deep, and lasting relationships by working together during this program. Through the development of this project, students will face complex battery design and manufacturing challenges to solve, which will help them develop the necessary skills to face their future battery and engineering careers.
Our purpose as the Cal State LA – Cerritos College team participating in the Battery Workforce Challenge is to educate and train the next generation of engineers and vocational specialists in EV batteries, providing hands-on experience and cross-disciplinary collaboration through the designing, building, testing, and integration of the best-possible advanced EV battery pack into a production Stellantis vehicle. Click to learn more about the Battery Workforce Challenge, Follow Battery Workforce Challenge on Instagram and LinkedIn
BMES Biomedical Engineering Society
The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) chapter was established at Cal State LA in 2009 and has been a hub for students interested in the Biomedical Engineering field. The organization runs career development events with speakers from the biomedical industry, participates in Makeathon biomedical design competitions off-campus, and runs workshops to give students skills to prototype medical devices and technology. The org has regularly sent members to the annual BMES conference to present findings from their research and projects. Click to learn more about BMES, visit /ecst/biomedical-engineering, or email us at csula.bmes@gmail.com.
CUBESAT
CubeSat is a multidisciplinary organization focusing on developing new technology for space. Join to develop software skills such as MATLAB and Simulink and apply dynamics, controls, and aerospace knowledge to solve problems. The goal is to research and design a small satellite by applying hands-on experience and simulation modeling in a team setting. CubeSat technology allows creative minds to develop cost-effective ways toward space exploration, constellation exploration, and constructing swarm systems. Anyone who is interested in gaining research skills and aerospace experience is welcome to join. Click to learn more about CubSat.
ETA KAPPA NU Electrical Engineering Honor Society
IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (stylized "IEEE-HKN") is the honor society of IEEE and is dedicated to encouraging and recognizing excellence in the IEEE-designated fields of interest. Through a variety of service programs and leadership training, our members develop lifelong skills that earn them prominent positions in industry, academia, and the community. Founded more than 100 years ago to acknowledge ingenuity and innovation in electrical engineering students, IEEE-HKN today is still dedicated to fostering scholarship, leadership, and service in both engineering students and professional members. The Epsilon Nu Chapter was established at California State University, Los Angeles, on May 14, 1966. Email Eta Kappa Nu for more information.
ERSEDS Eagle Rocketry-Students for the Development of Space
A local chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)—an international student organization whose purpose is to promote space exploration and development through educational and engineering projects. Currently, our main project is to build a 13-foot rocket to go 30,000 feet.
ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international membership association of transportation professionals who work to improve mobility and safety for all transportation system users and help build smart and livable communities. Through its products and services, ITE promotes professional development and career advancement for its members, supports and encourages education, identifies necessary research, develops technical resources including standards and recommended practices, develops public awareness programs, and serves as a conduit for the exchange of professional information. Learn more about ITE.
MAKERS CLUB
The Makers Club is an organization that welcomes students, from all majors, to engage with a community that encompasses a mindset of designing and manufacturing ideas into a reality. Here students are able to create or bring forth their designs and manufacture them through knowledge, hands-on experience, and teamwork. These projects will also allow students to acquire new levels of knowledge through interacting with others - schoolmates, mentors, and professors. Furthermore, students will have access to the Makerspace where they will be equipped with the resources and skills necessary to create tangible results. Not only will students be invested in, but they will be able to utilize what they know/learn and pass it on to others. This organization not only helps with developing students for the future, but it helps make ideas into a reality. Click to learn more about the Makers Club.
NSBE National Society of Black Engineers
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1975. It supports and promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. NSBE’s mission is "to increase the number of culturally responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community." NSBE offers its members leadership training, professional development activities, mentoring, career placement services, community service opportunities, and more. Learn more about NSBE. Contact NSBE at Cal State LA nsbecsula@gmail.com. Follow NSBE at Cal State LA on Instagram.
ROBOSUB Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (RoboSub)
The RoboSub team at California State University, Los Angeles is an engineering team that builds autonomous submarine vehicles each year for the international RoboSub competition. Members have the opportunity to design advanced robotics systems and work on an interdisciplinary project to gain experience working with a team. The competition is held annually at the end of July at the Transducer Evaluation Center (TRANSDEC) in San Diego. The competition consists of a set of obstacles arranged in the TRANSDEC pool that each team's submarine must navigate autonomously. Students working on the RoboSub project gain valuable teamwork and engineering skills while forming connections with other like-minded students. Click for more information on RoboSub.
SAE BAJA Society of Automotive Engineers Baja
The Baja Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Team is a 40-year-old student-run organization primarily made up of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, computer scientists, and technologists. Each year, the team of over 30 students designs and builds a new vehicle from scratch and travels to compete against hundreds of universities with the help and mentoring of staff, faculty, alumni, and sponsors. The mission of the Baja SAE Team is to have its members increase their skills in automotive design and building, gain hands-on engineering and management experience, and obtain experience working on a multi-disciplinary competition team. Most importantly, the team builds lasting relationships among students, hundreds of alumni, sponsors, and the Los Angeles community and represents the engineering excellence that can be achieved by Cal State LA students on a national stage. Click to learn more about SAE Baja.
SAE FORMULA Society of Automotive Engineers Formula
Formula SAE is a 10-year-old team of students, alumni, staff, and faculty who design and produce an open-wheel formula-style vehicle and compete with schools from around the world. The competition consists of static and dynamic events testing the team's design, fabrication, assembly, and teamwork skills. Formula SAE team members grow as engineers and team members by going through the engineering design process. The team then presents their design to experts in the field and competes in several different races against ~100 other universities. The mission of the Formula SAE Team is to have its members increase their knowledge of automotive design and building, gain hands-on engineering and management experience, and gain experience working on a multi-disciplinary competition team. The team also builds lasting relationships among its members and with the Cal State LA community that increase students’ interest and identity in engineering, helping them be successful after completing their degree. Click to learn more about SAE Formula.
SHESS/SHPE Society of Hispanic Engineers and Science Students
The Society of Hispanic Engineering and Science Students is part of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles. There are currently over 190 members in our organization with a range of fields such as Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineers, Computer Science and Chemistry as well as other math and science fields. Click to learn more about SHESS/SHPE.
SWE Society of Women Engineers
The student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers at California State University, Los Angeles has existed for nearly 15 years. Cal State LA SWE shares all the views and objectives of its parent organization SWE. The Society of Women Engineers is a non-profit, educational service organization. Click to learn more about SWE.
TAU BETA PI The Engineering Honor Society
Tau Beta Pi is the engineering honor society in the United States and the second oldest collegiate honor society in America. It honors engineering students who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity. Email the Cal State LA, Tau Beta Pi, or Click for more information on Tau Beta Pi.
Competition teams
Do you thrive on competition? Are you searching for what makes you passionate about engineering and computer science? Take your classroom skills to the next level, join a competition team. Work with a motivated team of students to design, build and test for competition. Experience the confidence that only comes from putting yourself out there for a more real-world experience. Develop your technical skills, sharpen your ability to think analytically, and improve your divergent thinking for more creative solutions. The thrill of achieving combined with networking opportunities and lasting peer connections make competition teams altogether unique. Be a part of a once-in-a-lifetime moment you'll always remember.
College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology
5151 State University Dr., Building E&T
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8150
Phone (323) 343-4500 | Fax (323) 343-4555 | Email ecst@calstatela.edu