Where opportunity meets unique experiences

Gregory is now a Master of Mechanical Engineering student and current Captain of Dalhousie’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineering (FSAE) team and is working on building the team’s first electric-powered racing car.

Gregory joined the FSAE team in 2017 during the first year of his undergraduate degree. As he became more involved with FSAE, Gregory says he began to see the concepts he was learning about in class come to life with the car. “I realized that almost all of my mechanical engineering class related directly to some component of the car,” he says. “Our courses tend to be more theory-based with few opportunities to do hands-on things but working on the car has helped me develop my skills.”

The team began an extensive redesign process of the car which started with identifying knowledge gaps in the existing team. But Gregory saw an opportunity to engage a whole new group of engineering students from other programs, such as structural and electrical. “Working with engineers from other programs, with their own design processes, helped me learn to communicate better and work as a team,” he says. “It’s a really important skill to have if you want to be part of a strong engineering team.”

Building a new type of vehicle has provided Gregory and his fellow teammates with a unique hands-on learning opportunity – one he says is important for future engineers.

“For young engineers, it’s important we seek out opportunities to develop our skills. And there are some skills that only come from hands-on practice with like-minded people.” As the team starts building their first electric racing car, Gregory says he’s ready to see what his team will accomplish in future competitions. “We have an incredible facility and a lot of bright minds at Dal. Putting those two together has enabled us to build something incredible.”