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On a bright day at Glen Arbour Golf Course, golfers at Hole 9 aren’t just lining up for their next shot, they’re getting a firsthand look at the future of engineering.

Stationed at the hole, second-year engineering student Jessica Durham and her teammates from the Dal Solar Car Team are sharing the story of Atlantic Canada’s first student-built solar-powered vehicle. The team built the car in 2023 using a frame purchased in the United States. While the project was a major milestone, the team is now taking things even further by designing and building a brand-new solar car entirely from scratch.

“We’re doing a 100 per cent Dalhousie car,” says Jessica, who works as co-operations lead for the team. “This year we plan on finishing up the new design for the car. Right now our chassis is carbon fibre and we plan on changing it to an aluminum tube chassis. We are also taking the car down from four wheels to three wheels.”

Events like the Dalhousie Engineering Golf Tournament give students like Jessica and her teammates the opportunity to present their work to alumni and industry leaders. All funds raised at the annual tournament also go directly into the Student Experience Fund, which supports hands-on initiatives like the solar car.

With a sold-out crowd this year, the tournament is the perfect place for students to showcase their ideas and connect with potential industry partners who can help bring their projects to the next level. The Dal Solar Car Team is just one of many student teams sharing their incredible work across the course.

From Solar to Electric

Just one hole down, Dalhousie’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Electric Vehicle Team has their electric car on display.

Thanks to a generous $70,000 sponsorship from Halifax-based Emera, the team built Atlantic Canada’s first student-designed electric vehicle. The partnership began at the Dalhousie Engineering Golf Tournament in 2022, where Emera first connected with the students and were inspired to support their project.

“This is the one event throughout the year that we’re really able to showcase our work to alumni and industry,” says Rikuto Nakayasu, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student and project lead for FSAE. “Emera has been a partner for a while now. They’ve been supporting us for a longtime and we really couldn’t have done anything without them.”

Rikuto says that Emera’s sponsorship made it possible for the team to purchase the essential parts required to transition from combustion to electric power. After competing in three international competitions, the students are now preparing to build a brand-new vehicle, carrying forward some of the legacy components provided through Emera’s support

“We’ve learned a lot from those competitions, and we’d like to take those lessons and build a new design,” says Rikuto. “This year we are starting new, new frame, new battery. But some components like the motor will be carried over through the Emera sponsorship. These are legacy items for the team and will live on through several iterations of the vehicle,” says Rikuto.

The team says they hope the golf tournament will help them raise more support for their upcoming projects.

The Impact of Giving

Along with the connections developed at the course, students also benefit from the funds raised through the event.

Last year alone, the Dalhousie Engineering Golf Tournament generated nearly $20,000, with every dollar going into the Student Experience Fund.

These funds provided critical tools and equipment that all student design teams could access to design and build their innovative projects. This included initiatives such as the FSAE Electric Vehicle, the Dalhousie Solar Car, a student-built rocket, and an autonomous sailboat.

But the impact extended beyond student design teams. The tournament also supported initiatives that strengthened the student community, including helping Dalhousie Engineering host the Canadian Engineering Competition last winter, and providing societies with resources to run events, workshops, leadership programs, and community-focused initiatives across campus.

The Power of Partnership

The success of the golf tournament wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of industry partners, who year after year continue to give back to Dalhousie Engineering students.

This year, the Faculty was proud to welcome TD Insurance as the new presenting sponsor of the Golf Tournament. The company has been a longtime supporter of the university and its students.

“TD Insurance has been an affinity partner of the university, and we’re thrilled to welcome them as presenting sponsor of the tournament,” says Dr. John Newhook, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. “We know that their longstanding support will have a significant impact on our students and on our community.”

Other sponsors this year include:

• Bird Construction
• CBCL
• Clear Power Solutions
• Design Point
• Dillon Consulting
• Eastpoint Engineering
• Engineers Nova Scotia
• Lindsay Construction
• Manulife

More Than a Game

For students, the golf tournament has always been more than just a day on the course. Jessica says it’s a chance to showcase to the world what’s possible through the power of partnership.

“The tournament is such a great way to meet potential sponsors and connect with different companies,” she says. “It’s also a great networking opportunity and a great fundraiser for the teams to get their names out there and for the companies to see what we’re working on.”