There has never been a more exciting time to be a Harvard engineer. With the recently built $1 billion campus in Allston and its ever-growing student body of engineering, computer science, and applied mathematics concentrators, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has seen a meteoric rise. The most impressive part is that SEAS is just 17 years old, founded in 2007.
As more Harvard students explore possibilities in SEAS, new teams of engineers have started to form. Harvard Undergraduate Automotive Society (HUAS) now houses The Formula SAE team. Formula SAE participants design and build a vehicle that gets scored on various metrics. There is also a rocket propulsion club that builds real-life rockets. With all these teams growing rapidly and new ones popping up every year, Harvard engineering is on a roll.
Multiple executive board members in HUAS shared their plans for the SAE racing team with the Independent. This team plans to register its car for the May 2026 Formula SAE race at the Michigan International Speedway. Though challenging, the members expressed excitement toward gearing up and preparing for the race.
President Rayhaan Saaim ’25 explained how the Formula One SAE has worked towards this lofty goal. “These senior theses…they’ll provide a major framework for the car.” A thesis is a component of earning a Bachelor of Science degree for multiple SEAS programs, and many of the team members are doing their theses on a component of the car. “This year, we have seven seniors doing their thesis on other components of the car, namely rear suspension, steering, improving on the chassis, aerodynamics, as well as drivetrain,” Saaim explained. This car will have significant research backing it from combining individual projects.
Even as seniors lead the charge, juniors, sophomores, and first-year students make up a significant portion of the club. Tanya Nuno ’27, a sophomore on the team and the Business Development Executive Chair, is in charge of obtaining most of the funding for this race car from sponsorships and fundraising. This is an essential role, as the car could cost over $80,000 to build when including the budgeted list of about 40 parts ranging in price from $161 for a fuel tank to a $6,000 Honda engine.
When looking into clubs as a freshman, Nuno “wanted to join hands-on clubs, especially since [she] didn’t have too much experience besides being on her high school’s robotics team.” Nuno pointed out that this is a turning point year for many of the engineering clubs at Harvard. Clubs like Formula SAE are now working on engineering challenges and competitions, but it wasn’t always this way. Despite wanting to join “hands-on” clubs during her first year, Nuno said, “Clubs that [she] joined weren’t really doing that. It was more of getting people to come in, panelists, to come in, or just building a community.” While building a community among engineers is essential, building things while creating a community is an exciting development for Harvard engineers.
Both interviewees are excited about the coming year and working on this project. “Momentum has never been greater than it is now,” Saaim asserted. Nuno is most excited about “Seeing people actually make a car from the ground up and working together.” Teamwork is what this Formula SAE team is all about.
In May 2026, we could see the Harvard race car barreling down the track, potentially winning the Formula SAE race. To follow the team’s journey, look out for updates online or contact Saaim at rsaaim@college.harvard.edu with any questions.
So, Harvard College, start your engines. On your mark, get set, go, and watch as Harvard Formula SAE races to build their first official race car.
Kalvin Frank ’28 (kfrank@college.harvard.edu) is excited to see a race car built at the SEC.