Innovative Student Organizations - Joey Bellofatto, John Carter, Amareah Bead, Sugru Yahaya

Classroom education and lab research are core, but student organizations outside the lecture halls and labs play an equally vital role in student life, helping students develop top-notch technical skills and providing opportunities for innovation and leadership. Two Purdue student organizations celebrated recent milestones: the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Purdue Grand Prix. NSBE marked its 50th anniversary in 2025; our “Mother Chapter” has now grown to more than 220 chapters at U.S. colleges and universities. The Purdue Grand Prix, often called “The Greatest Spectacle in College Racing,” is an annual go-kart race held at the Purdue racetrack. It marked its 60th anniversary in 2017, and more recently the 68th running of the race — the first since original 1909 bricks from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were laid at the Purdue racetrack start/finish line. In this podcast, the four students talk about how participating in these organizations has made them better engineers and built community and teamwork.