A young ARRL member from New York has begun a “Collegiate Ham Radio Operators” Facebook group. Sam Rose, KC2LRC, who lives in the Syracuse area, said the group is aimed at “college ham radio club members everywhere” who would like to share and collaborate on college ham radio activities. The group is open to anyone interested in college ham radio clubs — from members and alumni to faculty and even prospective college ham radio club members. Among those who’s already a fan is ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, who lives in the college community of Blacksburg, Virginia — the home of Virginia Tech (K4KDJ).

“I am encouraged to see college Amateur Radio organizations that are lively and interested in communicating with each other,” Craigie said. “It builds the future of Amateur Radio and may help their career opportunity networking also.”

Rose was the 2008 recipient of the Dr James L. Lawson Memorial Scholarship, managed by the ARRL Foundation. He is a graduate of Clarkson University and was active in Clarkson University’s Amateur Radio Club (K2CC), including a 2-year stint as its president. Earlier this year, Rose organized the Collegiate Dinner during the week of Dayton Hamvention on behalf of the Clarkson University ARC (he has posted a YouTube video of the 2015 Dayton Hamvention experience), and he said the Dayton gathering inspired the Collegiate Ham Radio Operators group.

“This group is something we decided to start at the Collegiate Dinner at Hamvention, where students, faculty, and alumni from Virginia Tech, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Clarkson, and a few other schools attended,” Rose told ARRL. “We intend it as an online ‘watering hole’ of sorts, for clubs across the world to post the goings-on of collegiate ham radio, and, through this, exchange ideas for projects, activities, and recruitment of members.”

A radio amateur since the age of 13, Rose now holds an Amateur Extra class ticket and works as a hardware engineer at C Speed LLC in Liverpool, New York. He also serves as an ARRL volunteer examiner. “Having started so early, I’m particularly interested in introducing ham radio to youth and young adults, and mentoring anyone who is getting interested in the hobby,” he said in his QRZ.com bio.

In addition to contesting and satellites, Rose is interested in IRLP links, public service events, electronics projects, and radio restorations. He also co-hosts a weekend radio show on WVOA (87.7 MHz) in Syracuse.