Engineers for a Sustainable World

The project proposal was approved in December 2024, and our Hydroponics project advanced from the development phase to the building phase. My responsibilities transitioned to reflect this milestone.

Beginning in January 2025, I will lead the project's execution throughout its building phase.

- Communicating with stakeholders to organize material purchasing, delivery and timelines.
- Establish a work breakdown to streamline the building process and ensure there are no delays.
- Utilize project tracking tools such as a Gantt chart to monitor the project.

I will be responsible for keeping all stakeholders informed of the project's progress, following through with our material sourcing and quoting, and ensuring the entire project remains on track.

Feed The Future - Hydroponics Project Manager

During this period in the Feed the Future project, I stepped into a role with more responsibility. In this phase, I combined my duties as the Lead System Designer and transitioned into a role more fit for the project's developmental phase.

As the Project Development Manager for the Hydroponics Project, I was responsible for its complete development and iteration. Following an agile project management style, I constantly communicated with the stakeholders and performed numerous design iterations on the 3D to optimize its production capacity.

With a target of supplying over 85% of the University of Guelph’s lettuce demand, following an agile project management approach has allowed us to design a 3D hydroponics model to achieve the maximum lettuce production within the project constraints. This system can produce up to 200 lettuce heads every week, and hold 768 at once. It comprises four sections. Each section contains 12 troughs that can each hold 16 heads of lettuce. The entire design including the frames, the brackets, the troughs, the plumbing and the piping were modelled in SolidWorks.

To validate the feasibility of our design, we performed static loading analysis on our brackets to ensure they withstand the weight of the troughs and lettuce plants. In addition, we utilized fluid mechanics principles to determine the water flow rate and the pressure needed from the inline pumps to achieve our desired volumetric flow rate.

After completing all stages of the project's development, to advance to the project building phase, we created a detailed project proposal to share with the project stakeholders. This proposal included a project budget, O&M costs, the project's scope, a detailed 3D model and 2D drawings.

In December 2024, the project proposal was approved and our Hydroponics project advanced from the development phase to the building phase. My responsibilities transitioned to reflect this milestone.

Feed The Future - Hydroponics Project Development Manager

The project, known as Feed the Future involves a collection of Sub-teams that work on specific areas involved in the hydroponics system design. I held the role of Hydroponics System Designer where I was responsible for the following:

- The creation of a prototype hydroponics system CAD model. Using SolidWorks to develop a design to be built.
- Lead in the assembly and fabrication of the prototype system. Including conducting tests on each component to ensure everything was working properly.
- This prototype system produced 300 lettuce heads that were donated to the Guelph Food Bank.

Feed The Future - Hydroponics Lead System Designer

General Member

GNCTR Guelph

Utilized my years of experience to contribute ideas to improve on each design subsystem. Assisted in the complete 3D design and fabrication of the toboggan, including the frame, roll cage, braking and steering systems as well as the ski design and their mounting points. Ensured DFMA principles were followed during the complete design process of the toboggan to ensure the ease of manufacturing.

Led training workshops and shop sessions to teach the other members the process of 3D modelling and performing FEA, as well as the process involved with manufacturing the toboggan.

Superstructure Senior Advisor

Led and managed a team of 15+ individuals tasked with manufacturing and assembling a toboggan with a metal frame and roll cage, considering the precision needed in welding, cutting and bending steel rods to fabricate the safety cage mechanism.

Designed and modeled 3D structures, and implemented Finite Element Analysis (FEA) impact testing on load-bearing components, simulating toboggan crash scenarios within SolidWorks. Factored in material properties, weight distribution, impact testing safety and machinability/manufacturability when building the toboggan.

Additionally, I assisted in our design justifications and analysis to ensure our toboggan was approved and up to standard. This included performing a first-principles analysis on chassis key components, performing solid mechanics calculations and worst-case tolerance analysis to validate results obtained through FEA. Compiled all calculations and data in a set of technical reports.

Aided in the performance of FEA impact testing on the toboggan frame and braking components to ensure the toboggan withstood the worst-case scenario analysis. Lastly, I contributed to the documentation and report writing to justify our design choices and manufacturing process.

Superstructure Lead - Frame

General Member - Superstructure

University of Guelph - School of Engineering

Worked in the Multiphase Flow and Energy Lab as a Carbon Capture and Sustainable Energy Systems Research Innovator under Dr. Wael Ahmed.

The focus of this research was the design and development of a CO2 water enrichment system aimed at enhancing the productivity of greenhouses by improving the CO2 concentration available to plants. This system utilizes captured exhaust gas from a gasoline engine and uses these gases to enrich water with CO2 for greenhouse irrigation. My work also involved analyzing fluid processes and conducting airlift pump experiments to improve sustainability in energy systems and industrial applications.

As a Greentech innovator, I
- Assisted in researching and performing fluid mechanics calculations to design a CO2 storage tank system that captures engine exhaust to enrich water and enhance greenhouse productivity by increasing CO2 concentration for plants.
- Conducted research on fluid processes and airlift pump experiments to enhance sustainability in energy systems and industrial processes.
- Analyzed data to evaluate system performance and identify areas for improvement.
- Researched scientific papers and prepared technical documents detailing the design process, results and project progress of various research experiments on the development of energy-efficient systems for mitigating CO₂ emissions.
- Conducted experiments, analyzing data and reviewing research to evaluate system performance and identify areas for improvement.

GreenTech Innovator: Carbon Capture and Sustainable Energy Systems Undergraduate Research Engineer

Husky Farm Equipment Limited

At Husky Farm Equipment Ltd. I held the position of Machine Designer. This position allowed me to play an integral role in our liquid manure application equipment's design, manufacturing and production. 

In this role, I contributed to the design, manufacturing, and production of liquid manure application equipment. I created and managed assembly parts lists, saw cut lists, and laser lists in Microsoft Excel, ensuring accurate cataloging of assemblies, sub-assemblies, and parts. I developed comprehensive Bills of Materials (BOMs) that included detailed cost analyses, accounting for both material and labour costs. These analyses guided cost comparisons, design feasibility assessments, and profit margin projections.

I managed farm machinery design projects valued at up to $150k, utilizing Autodesk Inventor to model complex 3D assemblies with up to 2,500 components. My work followed DFMA principles, ensuring manufacturability and efficiency. I also created complete design assemblies following hand-drawn notes and sketches from customers, designed custom parts, conducted research, and developed prototypes to enhance equipment performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness.

Additionally, I collaborated with cross-functional teams to verify designs, assist in the equipment billing process, and support off-site installations. My hands-on involvement extended to in-house assembly and disassembly, as well as equipment performance evaluations.

Machine Designer

Undergraduate Research Assistant working under Dr. Alexander Bardelcik at the University of Guelph within the School of Engineering, where our research was looking at the development of a Prototype Sports Mask using advanced Manufacturing processes.

Role and Responsibilities:
- Conducted extensive research and analysis of impact testing standards for sports masks according to CSA safety requirements.
- Utilized an Artec Spider 3D scanner to scan and capture the geometry of a sports mask.
- Combined Geomagic for SolidWorks alongside Artec software to convert multiple scans into one complete 3D scan to convert to CAD.
- Applied Solid and Surface modelling techniques on the 3D sketch to develop a standard mask CAD model for future iterations and enhancements.
- Measured, modelled and manufactured custom fixtures to attach onto an Instron Compression tester to perform a deformation test on a hockey cage.

Undergraduate Research Engineer: Prototype Sports Mask Designer

ClubLink

Golf Services

St. Andrew's College

Summer Camp Counselor

Ontario Minor Hockey Association

Hockey Referee

Hockey Time and Scorekeeper

Mechanical Engineering Student, University of Guelph | Renewable & Sustainable Energy | Engineers for a Sustainable World | Husky Farm Equipment Ltd | GNCTR Guelph |

Hey! My name is Gage. I am a dedicated Mechanical Engineering student in my fourth year at the University of Guelph, driven by a profound passion for sustainability, innovation, and renewable energy systems. My vision is to utilize my expertise in 3D design to create solutions that address pressing climate challenges.

I bring a blend of leadership and project management capabilities to the table. I am committed to harnessing these skills to lead multidisciplinary teams, drive sustainable system design, spearhead research and development initiatives, and oversee manufacturing processes.

My ultimate goal is to contribute significantly to the sustainable energy sector by developing comprehensive and innovative solutions that address environmental issues and contribute to societal well-being. 

My profile features a personal website showcasing my engineering projects, and academic work experience, as well as my resume and portfolio.

I am always eager to make new connections, so if you are interested in anything that I am interested in, don't hesitate to reach out!

Taplio

Gage Gonsalves's Linkedin Analytics

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Gage Gonsalves's Linkedin Analytics

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Gage Gonsalves's Linkedin Analytics