Objective: Formula SAE is a student design competition where an interdisciplinary team designs and builds a formula-style racecar to compete in a range of static and dynamic events, and design reviews.

Contribution: In 2015, I was a member of the suspension team, and helped fabricate precision parts for the suspension system of the M015 combustion vehicle, using mills, lathes, welders, and a range of hand tools. In 2016, the team made a shift to an electric vehicle – a first – requiring an enormous amount of new research and knowledge acquisition. This necessitated a drastic shift in design philosophy, and as a mechatronics student I was unique positioned to work across a range of teams: suspension, power electronics, motor control and cooling, and the business team. The latter entailed a business presentation given by myself and a colleague for an overall third place.

Takeaways: Working as part of an interdisciplinary team in a competitive environment further solidified my love for engineering. I greatly improved my technical skills – particularly in my first year. The following year, being part of the major shift to an electric vehicle was formative in my professional mindset; I gained significant experience working in both a team with an established history in designing combustion vehicles, and a team required to quickly adapt to a new paradigm. This also highlighted to me the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, combined with broad technical expertise. I have also since built on my knowledge of electric vehicles, working on a range of related graduate level research projects, and even developed a modular powertrain modeling framework for electric aircraft, sponsored by the FAA.