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When the Dalhousie Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Electric Vehicle Team met members of Emera at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Engineering Golf Tournament in 2022, it was a game changing moment.

That conversation led to a $70,000 partnership that helped the team build Atlantic Canada’s first student-designed electric vehicle and take it to three international competitions.

“The first vehicle was definitely all about learning how to build an electric vehicle,” says Ashton Dudley, a fourth-year electrical engineering student and member of the FSAE team. “The last couple of years have been about refining it, and then going to competition in New Hampshire and having our best result ever, fourth place.”

Now, the team is ready to take what it learned from that first vehicle and build something new.

“Our goal with this next car is to go back to competition, take all the stuff we’ve learned about how to build an EV and how to build a high-performance vehicle, and ideally compete and perform well,” says Dudley.

With that goal in mind, the team returned to this year’s Engineering Golf Tournament at Glen Arbour looking for the industry support needed to make its next vehicle a reality. With a sold out tournament, Dudley and his teammates had the opportunity to meet industry partners and share their plans for the year ahead.

They weren’t the only ones looking to make connections. Stationed at holes throughout the course, student design teams and groups were ready to meet golfers and talk about the projects, competitions and initiatives they’re working on.

As golfers made their way around the course, they learned about everything from rockets built to launch into the sky to concrete canoes designed to float on water.

Each year, proceeds from the tournament go toward the Faculty of Engineering’s Student Experience Fund, providing critical tools, equipment and resources that student design teams can use to bring their projects to life.

Over the years, that support has helped teams take on ambitious projects, from the FSAE electric vehicle and Dalhousie Solar Car to student-built satellites and autonomous sailboats.

Launching Student Ideas into Action

Over on hole 15 the Dalhousie Rocketry Team proudly showcased its latest rocket to golfers.

The team had recently returned from Timmins, Ontario in August, where it competed at Launch Canada, one of the country’s premier rocketry competitions. The annual event brings together post-secondary engineering teams from across Canada to design, build and test high-powered rockets.

Support from the Student Experience Fund helped the team cover manufacturing and competition costs, making it possible for members to build their rocket and travel to competition.

The team is already planning its next challenge: a two-stage rocket launch that will build on the work they’ve already completed.

“Today’s golf tournament went really well,” says Nabeeha Ahmed, a 4^th year electrical engineering student and member of the Dalhousie Rocketry team. “We talked to a lot of cool people and made some connections with some companies,” she says. “We showed them our rocket and got them talking about that.”

For Ahmed and her teammates, those conversations could lead to new support for the team’s next launch.

Building Community Through Leadership

The opportunities supported through the Fund extend beyond design teams and competitions. Over on hole 12, golfers also met members of the Dalhousie Undergraduate Engineering Society (DUES), one of the Faculty’s most active student organizations.

The society works to bring students together through events, activities and workshops throughout the year. They're efforts also have an big impact on the great community,

“This was a great opportunity for us to raise awareness about the events that happen within DUES and within Dal’s Sexton Campus,” says Kaden Nurse, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student and member of DUES. “We host events like our Engineering vs. Commerce game, our Engineering Gala and our Iron Ceremony, but this fundraising (from the golf tournament) also goes toward smaller events like trivia nights and Halloween events.”

Those smaller events help bring students together and create a stronger sense of community within Engineering. However, DUES also organizes larger initiatives such as the annual Engineering vs. Commerce Charity Hockey Game, a collaboration between engineering the Dalhousie Commerce. Now in its fourth year, this year’s charity hockey game raised $75,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society and The Lodge That Gives in Halifax. Together, the two societies have now raised nearly $300,000 through the annual game.

The Power of Partnership

The success of the Engineering Golf Tournament wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of industry partners, who, year after year continue to give back and create opportunities for Dalhousie Engineering students.

For companies such as CBCL Limited, that support is also an opportunity to connect with the next generation of engineers.

“Engineering is a profession founded on collaboration, and events like the Dalhousie Engineering Golf Tournament help strengthen those connections,” says Tim McLeod,  Principal, Director of Business Development at CBCL Limited. “At CBCL, we're proud to support opportunities that bring students and industry together, helping to foster the relationships and experiences that will shape the future of engineering.”

This year, the Faculty of Engineering thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of the 2026 Engineering Golf Tournament:

Bird Construction
Clear Power Solutions
CBCL Limited
EastPoint
Engineers Nova Scotia
Harbourside Engineering Consultants
Lindsay Construction
Manulife
Michelin
RCS Construction
TD Insurance