Space to Learn and Soar
Dawson Coats, Class of 2023
It’s not rocket science, or is it? Aerospace engineering is just the beginning of what Dawson Coats, Class of 2023, wants to do with his degree from Grand Valley. He did his co-op with GE Aviation, a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, and has a big plan to bring aerospace engineering experience to GVSU. Dawson wants Grand Valley students to partner with other Michigan universities to fuse senior projects with rocketry projects.
“Grand Valley is not an aerospace school, and yet there are faculty and staff who are trying to help me get this going,” Dawson explains. “I sat down with the dean, and he was very supportive of the idea. He helped me figure out how to start.”
Before he could begin, Dawson relied on knowledge from his classes, co-op, and experiences from serving as president of the GVSU Formula SAE team. Also known as Laker Racing, Formula SAE allows teams to apply engineering knowledge outside of class by developing and constructing a single-seat race car. Teams compete for best overall design, construction, performance, and cost. This gave him valuable leadership and teamwork skills that will help his rocketry vision become a reality.
Next, Dawson needed to find a space for his vision to develop. With donor support, Grand Valley expanded its engineering facilities to include the Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center, a versatile space equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. It is the perfect space for Dawson’s idea.
“It’s a huge space that has unlimited potential for students in terms of projects,” Dawson said. “GVSU’s engineering degree is more hands-on than any other degree in this state. In this building, there is more project than classroom space, which is exciting to see.”
Thanks to the generosity of donors like Shape Corp., Dawson and his fellow Laker engineering students have the space to develop education-enhancing projects, both for class requirements and student-led initiatives.
“Local companies are not just investing in the university, they are investing in the students and directly helping us succeed,” Dawson said. “They know that we are applicable to the industry, that we are knowledgeable, and that our degrees are worth supporting.”
Support from donors, knowledge from his GVSU experiences, and help from faculty led Dawson’s aerospace project to success. He is proud to introduce the Michigan Launch Alliance, a student-led partnership between Grand Valley and Western Michigan University to collaborate in aerospace engineering.
“Grand Valley will produce a bi-propellant rocket engine and then Western Michigan University will produce a static test bench,” Dawson explains. “The goal is for the two institutions to work together. Two sets of students, two sets of project teams, working together. In the end, we’ll use the WMU test bench to test the GVSU engine.”
Dawson doesn’t want his dreams of flying to end here. After graduation, he plans to continue working at GE Aviation. He also hopes that the Michigan Launch Alliance will expand to include more universities and will inspire future engineering students to follow their dreams.
“I really want people to know that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can do anything,” Dawson said. “I went to a high school surrounded by cornfields, but at Grand Valley, the possibilities are endless.”