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Where opportunity meets unique experiences

Posted:Ā April 2, 2024

By:Ā Stephanie Paterson

A blonde-haired man wearing a balck t-shirt that says Dal FSAE

If you were to label him a ā€˜car guyā€™, Mitchell Gregory (BEngā€™21) would agree with you. He grew up working alongside his dad rebuilding cars, eventually buying his own to restore. ā€œI spent hours rebuilding that car and learning how it came together,ā€ says Gregory. ā€œIt fueled my interest in both the automotive industry and mechanical engineering.ā€Ā 

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

Gregory joined the FSAE team in 2017 during the first year of his undergraduate degree.Ā 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. ā€œI realized that almost all of my mechanical engineering class related directly to some component of the car,ā€ he says. ā€œOur 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.ā€

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. ā€œWorking with engineers from other programs, with their own design processes, helped me learn to communicate better and work as a team,ā€ he says. ā€œItā€™s a really important skill to have if you want to be part of a strong engineering team.ā€

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

ā€œFor young engineers, itā€™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.ā€ As the team starts building their first electric racing car, Gregory says heā€™s ready to see what his team will accomplish in future competitions. ā€œWe have an incredible facility and a lot of bright minds at Dal. Putting those two together has enabled us to build something incredible.ā€

"For young engineers, itā€™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." - Mitchell Gregory (BEng'21)