As the philanthropic arm of SME, the mission of the SME Education Foundation — to inspire, prepare, and support the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent — has never been more relevant. North American manufacturers continue to be negatively impacted by substantial skills gaps and worker shortages, projected to exceed 2 million by 2030.
Fortunately, thanks to the support of our many valued partners, dedicated volunteers and generous donors, the Foundation continues to make significant strides in program expansion and impact. Reflecting on 2024, we are proud to share our annual report and trust you will enjoy catching up on our accomplishments, growth and unwavering commitment to strengthening manufacturing educational opportunities.
Highlights include a new virtual Bright Minds Student Summit, 23% growth in our SME PRIME program, the establishment of three new scholarship programs as well as nearly $1 million in annual scholarship awards, and the growth of our still-emerging and ever-exciting student mentorship program. Across all Foundation programming, approximately 12,000 high school and undergraduate students were engaged in 2024.
Our success would not be possible without the support and partnership of the broader manufacturing ecosystem. No one entity or program can solve the skills gap or talent shortage, but with the commitment and generosity of the manufacturing community at large, organizations like the Foundation can and do affect meaningful change.
On behalf of SME and the SME Education Foundation Board of Directors, we invite you to partner with us to enhance the talent pipeline, and look forward to another year of progress, innovation and collaboration.
With gratitude,
Frank Ervin III Group Vice President Piston Group LLC (retired)
Rob Luce Vice President SME Education Foundation
Overview
Established in 1979, the SME Education Foundation inspires, prepares and supports the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent through three distinct programs — SME Bright Minds Student Summits, SME PRIME and student scholarships. Since its beginning, the Foundation has sought to empower youth to pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering.
INSPIRE PREPARE SUPPORT
Governance
The SME Education Foundation Board of Directors is the governing body of the Foundation. This diverse, talented board is composed of proven and accomplished professionals from industry and academia.
2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2024 OUTGOING FOUNDATION DIRECTORS
Adam Claytor
Adam Claytor was elected to the Foundation board in 2020 and has been an SME Member since 2021. The president and CEO of Coltrane Logistics, a warehouse services company he founded in 2019, Claytor was previously employed as an analyst at Nelson Global Products and TAG Holdings LLC.
Kyle M. Riegel
Prior to joining the Foundation board, Kyle Riegel was part of SME’s Member Council, and took part in its Emerging Professional Task Group and Chapter Enhancement Committee. An SME member since 2008, he received a Foundation scholarship that same year. The director of sales at WindESCo, Riegel was formerly employed at Schunk Carbon Technology.
2024 FOUNDATION DIRECTORS
Valerie Freeman Manufacturing and Robotics Teacher Washington Park High School
Kate Kreamer Executive Director Advance CTE
John Miller Senior Vice President Mainstream Engineering Siemens Digital Industries Software
Matthew Hilgendorf, PE Chief Operating Officer Acme Industries
Peter Mancini Education Manager Mastercam
Christopher A. “Chris” Rake Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer FIRST
Joseph A. “Joe” Kann President Cobble Creek Solutions
Arthur F. “Art” McClellan Jr. Director of Supplier Diversity and Development Lear Corp.
JoAnne P. Williams, JD Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration Fairfield University
2025 INCOMING FOUNDATION DIRECTORS
Brent Noonan
Robert “Robby” Komljenovic Operating Board Member Acieta
Mark Michalski Chief Executive Officer and Owner Sizzle and Stem Digital Media
Currently the CEO of Gladwin Machinery Solutions, Brent Noonan previously served as president of the Americas at Stratasys — a global leader in polymer 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products, design, education and healthcare. Prior to that, he held sales and strategy roles at Uponor and Kohler.
Selin Sirinterlikci
Selin Sirinterlikci is no stranger to the SME Education Foundation. A former Foundation scholarship recipient, she has served as a scholarship reviewer for the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee since 2021. Since 2018, Sirinterlikci has been employed at General Motors, where she is a corporate strategy analyst. She is an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School.
DIGITAL BRIGHT MINDS
Student Summit
Hosted alongside SME conferences and events, SME Bright Minds Student Summits showcase the hightech nature of modern manufacturing and promote the industry as an exciting, growing and lucrative career path to high school students and educators — delivering insightful programming that features guided show-floor tours, technology demonstrations and keynote speakers.
In 2024, the SME Education Foundation collaborated with the SME+ app team to produce a digital summit. Conceived as a pilot program for SME PRIME® (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) schools, the digital summit provided students with a new experience — a full month of valuable educational content in October to celebrate Manufacturing Month.
Students from 21 SME PRIME schools took part in a competition, gaining a deeper understanding of manufacturing concepts and real-world applications while showcasing their skills and knowledge. Students accrued points through the SME+ app. Top-performing schools earned prizes.
21 SME PRIME Students from schools participated
“This was my favorite activity because it was very involved and fun. It also felt like an achievement when the roller coaster was finished and worked.”
— Student
“Awesome opportunity! Students had a great time with all of the activities. Thank you for hosting this event!”
—Educator
Tooling U-SME Courses
Students completed the Manufacturing 101 Tooling U-SME course, which provides a broad overview of the manufacturing process and industry. They then competed to prove their expertise in a “Jeopardy”-style game.
Exploring Robots With FANUC
Participants got an up-close look at robotics in action in a video presented by FANUC, the global leader in CNC systems and robotics. The students’ knowledge was then put to the test in a “Wheel of Fortune”style game.
Keynote Video Presentation With Edge Factor
After watching a manufacturing-focused video from Edge Factor — a leading platform for skills development and career exploration — students were challenged with a video-related word game in which they unscrambled letters to decode key words and phrases.
Hands-On Roller Coaster Activity
Students designed and built a roller coaster, then documented the process by taking pictures and submitting videos, creating a photo mosaic. Designs were judged by the SME Education Foundation and SME+ teams.
“For us being a PRIME school, it showed the important connection between our school, SME and our industry partners.”
— Educator
In 2024, participants in the Digital Bright Minds Student Summit included: Digital Student Summit Winners students schools states
1,100 $5,000 $3,500 $1,500
21
11
FIRST ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Inaugurated in 1992, the FIRST Championship is a four-day, international student robotics competition held annually in April. In 2024, the SME Education Foundation and five of its SME PRIME partners — Stratasys, Lincoln Electric, Verisurf, FANUC Americas and Festo — promoted advanced manufacturing technologies in the FIRST Championship in Houston, attended by 50,000 students from 58 countries.
Along with our partners, the Foundation was able to engage with thousands of students of all ages, teaching them about advanced technologies at the Foundation’s Advanced Manufacturing Pavilion. Not only did the students participate in 3D printing, welding simulation, mechatronics and robotic-arm activities, they also learned about SME opportunities such as memberships and scholarships.
The championship is the culmination of the youth robotics competition season as well as an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering and math.
50,000 58 EVENT PARTICIPATION
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING COMPETITION
SkillsUSA, a workforce development organization, empowers students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members.
In 2013, SME partnered with Stratasys to produce the first SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition after seeing the need for an event that would introduce the next generation of manufacturers to emerging additive manufacturing technologies — and provide them with hands-on, real-world experience they could apply to commercial products.
Student teams complete activities that range from designing and printing objects that help streamline factory processes to solving real-life problems. Since 2013, 600 high school and postsecondary students have participated.
Members of the winning teams are awarded scholarships, 3D printers and other valuable resources.
2024 Competition
In 2024, 96 participating students were asked to design a new product, focusing on color, material and finish — components that are critical to new products, and that can be created faster, cheaper and with less risk by using full-color, multi-material 3D printing.
In addition to partnering with Stratasys on the competition, the SME Education Foundation partnered with four other companies: The Future of Jewelry, Autodesk, SolidWorks and UltiMaker.
As part of the competition at SkillsUSA, 96 students sat for the Certified Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals (CAMF) exam, which was designed for industry professionals. Provided by SME, the CAMF exam focuses on the basics of additive manufacturing, including a comprehensive overview of additive manufacturing, the seven additive manufacturing technologies, and basic safety guidelines. Students who pass the CAMF exam carry the resulting certification with them throughout their careers.
67% of students passed the CAMF exam
In 2024, 67% of students passed the exam, receiving a respected, career-enhancing certification, and the knowledge to drive their future employers’ additive manufacturing initiatives forward.
High School Winners
Gold
Matthew Queen and Joshua Silver
White Knoll High School Lexington, South Carolina
Silver
Liam Foss and Peter Regas
Mayfield High School Cleveland, Ohio
Bronze
Emma Belsly and Ethan Cross Morton High School Morton, Illinois
Postsecondary Winners
Gold
Armand Carlo Agbulos and Cody Buchanan
Madison Area Technical College Madison, Wisconsin
Silver
Spencer Hachem and Darin Swagerty
Chattahoochee Technical College Acworth, Georgia
Bronze
Riley Mason and Landon Nelson
Central Community College – Hastings Hastings, NE
Aidan Sullivan
The summit was amazing. It allowed us to take a break from our normal schedule while learning new information, and added excitement to the day each time we participated.”
High School Senior Enhances Teamwork Skills at Digital Bright Minds Student Summit
By participating in SME’s Digital Bright Minds Student Summit in October 2024, 17-year-old Aidan Sullivan says he was able to “hyper-fixate” on cooperating with others — in the process improving his ability to be a team player, a crucial skill for would-be engineers.
“The summit was amazing,” says Sullivan, a senior at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. “It allowed us to take a break from our normal schedule while learning new information, and added excitement to the day each time we participated.”
Sullivan took part in the digital summit during his first-hour engineering class. His classmates served as his teammates for various summit challenges.
“I gained plenty of enhanced skills, such as teamwork and cooperation, from the summit,” says Sullivan. “It forced me to get out of my comfort zone and work as part of a collaborative group to achieve one group goal.”
Sullivan describes his role on the team as a motivator. “Whenever we were stumped, I tried to suggest out-of-the-box ideas to get our gears turning a bit more,” he says.
His favorite part of the summit was the final challenge — creating a marble track. “We brainstormed for days, just grabbing everything we could and figuring out how we could make the ultimate track,” says Sullivan. “Our design was inspired by a giant transformer.”
According to Sullivan, the first time he thought about being an engineer — or about anything having to do with manufacturing — was when he was in fifth grade. “We had STEM days,” he recalls. “Every Friday, we’d do a STEM event. One of our events was building a bridge. We’d get little dowel rods and little pieces of wood, and we had to build a bridge that we stress-tested.” Despite the fact that his bridge was, as he describes it, “the worst in the class,” the experience awakened in him an interest in manufacturing.
“Ever since then, I’ve always loved building stuff — bridges, airplanes, anything like that,” he says.
Sullivan’s interest in and aptitude for building things — as well as his participation in the digital summit — paid off. He just got accepted into his “dream college,” the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering, where he’ll major in aerospace engineering.
After college, he says he’d love to work for any company that manufactures passenger airlines, or for NASA. “Rocket ships and in-flight missiles have always fascinated me,” he says. “So have next-generation fighter jets like the F-18 and the F-35. I’ve always gone to the air show with my parents.”
In his spare time, Sullivan coaches youth baseball and helps run a sports facility — Play at the Cage in Ypsilanti — where he’s played baseball his entire life. “I do travel baseball yearround, and in the summer we travel to different states,” he says. “Plus I play soccer in the fall.”
As a result of his experience participating in the digital summit, Sullivan says he would like to attend an in-person SME Bright Minds Student Summit. “It would allow me even more time to be with peers driven toward the same goals, and to meet new people who share the interests I do,” he says.
SME PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) partners private industry with academia to build custom manufacturing and engineering programs in high schools across the country, providing equipment, curriculum, teacher training, student scholarships and funding for extracurricular activities and program sustainability.
Tailored to meet the needs of local manufacturers, SME PRIME:
10,000 110 45 91% 23 in across Serves Is aligned with more than Most importantly, leads of SME PRIME seniors to pursue MANUFACTURING post-graduation STUDENTS
SCHOOLS INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS (IRC) STATES
CORE PATHWAYS
• Additive Manufacturing
• CAD/CAM
• Metrology and Quality States with SME PRIME schools
ELECTIVE PATHWAYS
• Industrial Maintenance
• Machining and Fabrication
• Mechatronics and Robotics
• Welding
SME PRIME continued its impressive growth in 2024, launching 17 new schools in Michigan and securing funding for an additional eight schools that will be developed across the country in 2025. Two of those schools will be in Michigan, two will be in Kentucky, and four will be located in Alabama, New York, Pennsylvania and Maine. With these new schools, the SME PRIME network will stand at 118 schools nationwide.
2024 includes Schools
8
17 new schools pending launched schools
Across the network, the Foundation distributed $7.4 million to its SME PRIME schools in 2024, by way of advanced manufacturing equipment, curriculum, teacher training and student engagement activities.
$18.3 million $7.4 million 156% total distributions since 2018 distributions in 2024 growth since 2018
SME Education Foundation relies on a dedicated team of partners that provides new, high-tech, industrial-grade equipment — as well as online training courses and certification curriculum for SME PRIME programs.
Schools Michigan at a Glance
ADDITIONAL STUDENTS of STUDENTS
will have the opportunity to participate in Michigan PRIME schools
of SCHOOLS
40% 85 17 41% 15,635
MANUFACTURERS
qualify for FREE and reduced rate LUNCHES participated in the design of individual curriculum plans for the newest schools are TITLE I schools
New 2024 Michigan-Funded SME PRIME Schools
In 2024, the SME Education Foundation began development of a second cohort of Michigan SME PRIME schools, with funding support from the state of Michigan and other sources.
MICHIGAN SCHOOLS
launched SME PRIME in 2024:
Caledonia High School, Caledonia
Charlton Heston Academy, St. Helen
Davison High School, Davison
Delta Schoolcraft ISD, Escanaba
Frankenmuth High School, Frankenmuth
Holt High School, Holt
INVEST Roosevelt, Hazel Park
Kearsley High School, Flint
Kelloggsville High School, Wyoming
Lakeview High School, St. Clair Shores
Lincoln Senior High School, Ypsilanti
Marshall High School, Marshall
Northwest Education Services Career Tech, Traverse City
Owosso High School, Owosso
Saline High School, Saline
Waverly Senior High School, Lansing
Ypsilanti Community High School, Ypsilanti
“The PRIME equipment and curriculum has allowed us to become a state-certified Mechatronics CTE program.” — Joseph Minnick, Educator, Southfield High School, Southfield, Michigan
Network SME PRIME at a Glance
81% 55% 46%
19% served annually
10,000 of STUDENTS STUDENTS of STUDENTS of SCHOOLS of STUDENTS identified as MALE qualified for FREE and reduced rate LUNCHES qualified for TITLE I support identified as FEMALE
NEW FUNDING FOR 2025
The SME Education Foundation secured funding for eight new SME PRIME programs for 2025.
2 in Kentucky
Funded by the Charles L. Shor Foundation
2 in Michigan
Funded by the state of Michigan
4 in regions vital to U.S. Navy shipbuilding
In alignment with the U.S. Navy and driving toward the mission of building a strong talent pool for our maritime industrial base, the U.S. Navy Maritime Industrial Base team and BlueForge Alliance are proud to partner with SME.
SME PRIME Sustainability Awards
One of SME PRIME’s unique benefits is sustainability funding. Once SME PRIME programs are fully up and running, the schools are encouraged to apply for sustainability grants — awarded by the Foundation — to help maintain and grow their programs. Sustainability funding serves as the basis of the long-term value provided by the continued partnership between the Foundation and its SME PRIME network. Schools can use sustainability awards to purchase additional equipment, service existing equipment, procure materials and supplies, provide professional development, enhance curriculum, or underwrite the cost of student engagement activities.
43 schools awarded in 2024 to maintain SME PRIME programs across the country $260,000
SME PRIME Sustainability Distributions
$300,000 $225,000 $150,000 $75,000 0
$650,000 distributed Total: since 2021
“The [sustainability] grant really helped us with the purchase of consumable materials and allowed us to purchase new 3D printers to add to our existing line of printers.”
— Ciaran Byrne, Educator, Freeland High School, Freeland, Michigan
Mischa Watts
“Being able to have that bridge between high school and college helped me to have real goals. Instead of thinking, ‘It’s just school,’ I started thinking, ‘This is my life’ — which was really nice.”
SME PRIME Experience Leads the Way to Scholarship and Internship for Texas Student
Mischa Watts became interested in engineering as a career while participating in the first year of the SME PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) program at the West Texas Training Center while in her senior year at Lake View High School in San Angelo, Texas.
As part of the program, Watts attended seminars and toured manufacturing plants, including an Ethicon plant. A division of Johnson & Johnson, Ethicon is a worldwide leader in surgical care and one of four funders of the West Texas Training Center’s SME PRIME program.
“The Ethicon plant tour kick-started my actual interest in engineering, because before that it was like I was going to school for it but didn’t know much about it,” she says.
Describing the experience that resulted in her career-choice epiphany, she says one of the Ethicon engineers showed her his prototype for a design that had just been implemented. “That was a really good experience, and it made me realize that what I do — even if I’m a newer employee, because the engineer had only been there one or two years — can still make a difference and make an impact.”
Describing her high school experience participating in SME PRIME, Watts says, “Anyone who was in a STEM-related program had the option to go to different seminars throughout our senior year. Each one taught us about different industries within STEM and one was specifically about Ethicon.”
Noting that all the seminars were interesting in different ways, Watts says that at the end of the Ethicon presentation, the students got a plant tour and were told about various jobs and internship opportunities that were available at the company.
Now a sophomore at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas — where she’s majoring in chemical engineering — Watts received a scholarship and a summer internship from Ethicon in 2023 after applying for them at the end of the plant tour.
Referring to her SME PRIME experience, Watts says, “It really helped me understand what was possible for me in my future because I got to speak to so many industry professionals, including people who graduated a while ago as well as those who had just graduated. I could see myself in their shoes in a few years, and the exposure gave me a new perspective that I hadn’t previously had — and it was eye-opening.
“Being able to have that bridge between high school and college helped me to have real goals. Instead of thinking, ‘It’s just school,’ I started thinking, ‘This is my life’ — which was really nice.”
In her immediate future, Watts plans to complete another internship at Johnson & Johnson and attend graduate school. After that, she’s not sure.
“I just don’t know what field I want to go into — like if I want to go into medical or oil and gas,” she says. “I’m still figuring it out because I’m finally in chemical engineering classes this year, so I feel like I’m narrowing it down.
“But I do think it would be nice to work for a while and then eventually open my own business or something of the sort. I just want to try everything that I can.”
Scholarships
For more than 40 years, the SME Education Foundation has been a leader in supporting the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent. Our scholarship program awards nearly a million dollars annually to hundreds of graduating high school seniors and current college students who are pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree in technical fields that directly support manufacturing.
With more than 60 distinct scholarship programs, the Foundation provides merit and need-based scholarships, issues renewing and one-time awards, and seeks applications from all eligible students, including but not limited to young women and underrepresented communities. to more than future INDUSTRY LEADERS since 2005 The Foundation has AWARDED OVER AWARDS range from $18 million $2,500 –$20,000 5,000
TOTAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS IN 2024
1,447 scholarship applications reviewed
118 scholarships awarded
Scholarship Impact
Capitalizing on efforts begun in 2022 to increase the impact of its scholarship program, the Foundation increased average award amounts, issued more renewing scholarships, and incorporated need-based criteria into many awards. Year-Over-Year Comparison
of scholarships awarded to
47% women and people of color
83 Awardees enrolled in across
U.S. states colleges/universities
31
Community of Scholars
The SME Education Foundation Community of Scholars represents a select group of SME Education Foundation scholarship recipients who receive various benefits and engagement opportunities throughout their academic experience — providing them with a gradual introduction to everything SME has to offer.
One of these offerings is the SME Bright Minds Student Mentorship Program, which matches Community of Scholars members with mentors who are professional members of SME. The students engage with their mentors every month to discuss college life, academics, networking and career pathways.
Launched in 2023 with 33 students, the Community of Scholars welcomed its second cohort of 31 students in 2024, for a total of 64 undergraduate students in the program over the two years.
“The most well-rounded professional is someone who has mentors. The mentor unlocks the vault of information that you can’t learn in a book. The mentor provides a peek behind a curtain that one may not have access to.”
— Erica Bell, VP of the SME Education Foundation Board of Directors and VP of regulatory compliance and sustainability at Harman International
A total of students over two years
64
New scholarships in 2024
FANUC Automation Endowed Scholarship Fund
A $1 million endowment fund provides scholarships, totaling at least $50,000 annually, to students pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing and automation in the United States and Canada
Blue Oval City Scholarship
A $250,000 scholarship fund awards 100 $2,500 scholarships to students attending community college in western Tennessee, near the Blue Oval City development
Foundation
A $25,000 scholarship fund awards $20,000 to a four-year university student and $5,000 to a two-year community college student
AMERICA SCHOLARSHIP
In 2024, FANUC America — a global leader in industrial automation and robotics — established the FANUC Automation Endowed Scholarship Fund in collaboration with the SME Education Foundation. As the largest automation scholarship in SME Education Foundation history, this initiative will foster the next generation of skilled professionals in advanced manufacturing and industrial automation.
Over the next four years, a minimum of $1 million will be contributed to establish an enduring endowment. This endowment will provide annual scholarships totaling at least $50,000 to deserving students pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing and automation across the United States and Canada.
The FANUC Automation Endowed Scholarship Fund represents a long-term commitment by FANUC America, along with its Authorized System Integrators and Education Solutions Providers.
“FANUC has always believed in the power of education and its pivotal role in shaping the future. Early on, we recognized the demand for advanced skills and it led us to establish our Certified Education program. Now, through our new $1 million scholarship initiative, we continue to champion education, and help empower the next generation to learn, innovate and fuel the growth of manufacturing in North America.”
— Mike Cicco, President and CEO, FANUC America
FANUC Authorized System Integrators and Education Solutions Providers:
“Shape Technology Group’s participation in the FANUC Automation Endowed Scholarship Fund underscores our commitment to nurturing future talent in advanced manufacturing and automation. We value our partnership with FANUC and SME, and we are aligned with their vision and strategy with this investment. By investing in education, we ensure a pipeline of skilled professionals who will drive innovation and growth in our industry.”
— Nino LaDuca, CEO, Shape Technologies Group
Having that extra money from SME allows me to focus on putting in the time and effort to get my education. And it allows me to just enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime part of my life.”
Willem Potter
SME Scholarships Allow Engineering Student to Enjoy ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ College Experience
On New Year’s Eve 2024, 21-year-old Iowa State University student Willem Potter was on a plane over the Atlantic, headed for Europe. He was on his way to Homburg, a town in southwest Germany, to begin a five-month manufacturing engineering internship at John Deere during the winter semester of his junior year.
The recipient of three SME Education Foundation scholarships — the 2022-2023 Schneider-Bingle Endowed Scholarship, 20232024 Myrtle & Earl Walker Endowed Scholarship, and 2024-2025 Myrtle & Earl Walker Endowed Scholarship — Potter is planning to return to Iowa State after his internship to complete his bachelor’s degree.
“The scholarships make it so much easier,” says Potter. “Having that extra money from SME allows me to focus on putting in the time and effort to get my education. And it allows me to just enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime part of my life.”
The youngest of three brothers who grew up in Waverly, Iowa, Potter decided he wanted to pursue a career in engineering while gaining exposure to the field at Waverly Shell-Rock High School. “I did all our Project Lead the Way classes and I did the FIRST Tech Challenge for four years,” he says. “So I knew I really liked engineering.”
After high school, Potter decided to attend Iowa State, following in the footsteps of his brothers, his parents and several grandparents. “It’s kind of a family thing,” says Potter. “Plus, it’s a great engineering school.”
In addition to maintaining a 4.0 in his classes at Iowa State, Potter worked as a technician in a manufacturing lab and served as a teaching assistant for engineering statics. He’s also been involved in the Iowa State chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, the Advanced Manufacturing Club and three honor societies — Alpha Pi Mu, Tau Beta Pi and Cardinal Key.
But it’s not just about academics for Potter. He’s also an avid supporter of Iowa State athletic teams, borne out by his attendance at almost every home football game in 2024 and by regular viewership of televised basketball games in Germany. In addition, he likes to play intramural volleyball and basketball, although, as he says with a laugh, “I lose most of the time.”
After his stint in Germany comes to an end in May 2025, Potter plans to do a summer internship in metal additive manufacturing at the John Deere Moline Technology Innovation Center in Moline, Illinois. He’s on track to graduate from Iowa State with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering in December 2026.
“It’s incredibly flexible,” says Potter about choosing industrial engineering as his major. “You get a little business, you get engineering, and you get a very well-rounded education. I specifically love the manufacturing side of it, so that’s what I lean into, but I still get that very general background, which
After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Potter plans to work toward a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering, with the goal of graduating in December 2027. He also may pursue a doctorate degree.
As far as his eventual career, Potter says, “I’d love to work at LEGO. They’re finishing up a factory in Virginia this year, so I’ve been doing my best trying to find out if they’re going to have interns. Or maybe I can try and use the fact that I’ve now worked abroad to work at their headquarters in Denmark for a few years. That would be super cool. I loved LEGOs growing up, so that
Giving
Making an Impact on Manufacturing’s Future
High-quality educational opportunities that provide pathways to manufacturing, engineering and related careers have been central to the SME Education Foundation’s mission of inspiring, preparing and supporting the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent since the Foundation’s establishment in 1979.
The generosity of passionate partners and donors enables the work of the Foundation and makes a direct impact on manufacturing’s future. Thank you to the many contributors who supported our work in 2024. We are humbled that you have entrusted us to carry out your philanthropic strategy.
CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION GIVING
In 2024, the Foundation received $4.6 million in organizational funding from corporate, foundation and institutional donors.
24 provided nearly in $1,075,000 scholarship gifts organizations
and its integrators:
5
3 provided provided nearly $95,000 $3.4 million Sustainability funding: for SME PRIME for new SME PRIME programs: organizations organizations
INDIVIDUAL GIVING
The SME Education Foundation is grateful for the hundreds of individual donors who supported our work in 2024. Along with corporate contributions, individual contributions help ensure the Foundation has the necessary resources to inspire, prepare and support future manufacturers
In 2024, the Foundation had nearly who contributed INDIVIDUAL DONORS
