ALLIANCE, Ohio — Dale Pittman, owner and president of Pittman Engineering, Inc. and Anstine Machining Corporation in Alliance, has given a $10,000 gift in support of the University of Mount Union’s School of Engineering and its Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja Car project.

The SAE Baja project occurs annually, where mechanical engineering students design and build an all-terrain vehicle from the ground up and compete across the country against the top 100 engineering college and universities at the conclusion of each academic year. Pittman, an Alliance native who also serves on Mount Union’s Engineering Advisory Board, has assisted students each of the past eight consecutive years as the technical advisor and corporate sponsor of the project.

“Building and competing with these cars every year can cost $30,000 or more, but it is a phenomenal opportunity for these students to get real-world engineering experience and learn how to work as a cohesive team,” Pittman said. “I hope this gift encourages others to donate to this important program that people in our local community should know more about.”

“We are incredibly grateful for Dale’s time, talent and treasure since the engineering program began at Mount Union,” said Dr. Chad Korach, associate professor and director of Mount Union’s School of Engineering. “His commitment to the students is greatly valued for the continued success of the SAE Baja project.”

Learn more about this and other unique senior engineering design projects at Mount Union at mountunion.edu/school-of-engineering. For those interested in supporting the School of Engineering and projects like SAE Baja, contact Korach at korachcs@mountunion.edu.