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Electrifying the Next Generation of Innovative Automotive Leaders

Electrifying the Next Generation of Innovative Automotive Leaders

Perficient is strongly committed to advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We believe it is critical to provide young people with academic and skill-building opportunities to pave the way for a better future.

The next generation of leaders will accelerate innovation in the automotive industry, which is why we are proud to partner with Formula SAE and Formula Student teams from leading universities that are engineering the future of vehicles in many of the communities where we live and work.

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Knowledge Transfer in High Gear
STEM Students Meet the Challenge

Perficient's passion for automotive and STEM came together in a perfect partnership to support computer science and engineering students at Monterrey Tec. As a participant in the school's Education Partners program, we challenged the computer science students to build a tool to help their Formula SAE team, Tec Racing, document processes, collaborate, and make progress visible to sponsors. With this new tool, Tec Racing looks forward to finishing its vehicle in time for next year's competition!

Read the Story
Justin Huckins

"These Formula SAE and Formula Student teams are helping drive the future of the automotive industry, and we’re thrilled to deepen our investment in their programs. Our ongoing partnership with these teams demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation within automotive engineering. We can’t wait to see what happens this season!"

-Justin Huckins, Director of Digital Strategy and Automotive Industry Lead, Perficient

We’re excited to share our automotive insights and expertise with students and witness how each program achieves its goals throughout the year. As part of our SAE partnership, we provide students opportunities to learn how companies like Perficient are transforming the automotive and mobility industries through technology and innovation.

Washington University in St. Louis FSAE
Washington University in St. Louis
Every year, the Washington University student-run Formula SAE team travels to Michigan International Speedway with its Formula-style race car to compete against more than 100 other teams from around the world and be judged by industry professionals.
Northwestern University FSAE
Northwestern University
The Northwestern University team emphasizes inclusion through education, bringing together undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds for the unique opportunity to learn from and mentor each other in the spirit of Formula car building and racing. The team began creating its first-ever electric vehicle in 2022.
University of Missouri-Columbia FSAE
University of Missouri
The Mizzou Formula SAE team designs and builds a high-performance race car for the Formula SAE competition. Its internal combustion car focuses on optimizing performance, handling, and efficiency, showcasing the team’s technical expertise and passion for motorsports while meeting demanding competition standards.
Texas A and M FSAE
Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s SAE team hosts a Formula program for students to design and test cars to race against global competitors. The program emphasizes opportunities for students to build skills, learn from experts, and advance their engineering careers. After a successful competition with its AME24 vehicle, development of the 2025 competition car is underway. 
University of Michigan FSAE
University of Michigan
Founded in 1986, Michigan’s Formula SAE team has spent almost 40 years utilizing top talent from its undergraduate and graduate programs to consistently place high in competitions. MRacing is one of the top-ranked programs in the world.
University of Minnesota FSAE
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota team designs and builds Formula-style cars to compete in the global Formula SAE series. The team’s mission is to create combustion and electric open-cockpit open-wheel vehicles that are competitive both on the track and in the market.
The Ohio State University FSAE
The Ohio State University
OSU engages students from the engineering, business, and science departments to design, build, and race their own cars on the national level with the goal of implementing the latest techniques and advancements in Formula car engineering. In 2024, the team secured three first-place finishes at leading national events, and in 2025, the team is fully transitioning to an EV competition vehicle.  
University of Colorado-Boulder FSAE
University of Colorado
Buffs Racing, the student racing team at CU Boulder, designs and builds high-performance race cars for the Formula SAE competition and endurance road racing events. The team emphasizes performance, efficiency, and handling, providing members with hands-on automotive experience and high-performance driving training. 
University of Georgia FSAE
University of Georgia
In 2014, a group of engineering students at the University of Georgia formed the school's chapter for the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which evolved into UGA Motorsports. In 2024, the team achieved its highest score in program history, showcasing the dedication and hard work of this premier student-run organization and validating its continuous growth. 
UC Irvine FSAE
UC Irvine
Anteater Electric Racing is part of the school’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering, specializing in designing, manufacturing, and competing with   formula race cars on an international collegiate level. Comprising of over 50 dedicated students from diverse fields, the team leverages its broad skill set to foster innovation, organization, and competitiveness.
Universitatea Tehnica Din Cluj-Napoca FSAE
Art TU - Romania
Proudly representing the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in international formula student competitions, Art TU is Romania’s first and only student formula team in the electric vehicle category. Teams use vehicles powered only by electric motors and compete in static and dynamic events such as design, business presentation, cost and manufacturing, acceleration, skidpad autocross, endurance, and efficiency.
University of North Carolina-Charlotte FSAE
University of North Carolina - Charlotte
In 2021, UNC’s 49ers Racing Formula EV team was founded to give students experience in the rapidly evolving electric vehicle industry. Since its inception, the team has continually worked at the forefront of technology to develop students into real-world-ready engineers who strive for innovation. 

Check Out Our Podcast

In this episode of Perficient's What If? So What? podcast, Jim Hertzfeld interviews Luca Ranzani, team captain of MRacing at the University of Michigan, who explains how he applies what he's learned in the classroom to his work in real-life automotive innovation and EV engineering.

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