About Us

Our Story

The Middlebury Engineering Society (MES) began as the Middlebury Formula Car Club back in 2021. For the first few years, our small team focused on designing and building a race-worthy car for the collegiate formula circuit. But as founding members graduated—taking their technical experience with them—the club struggled to sustain momentum. We realized something important: our club wasn’t accessible. We were going about bringing engineering into a non-engineering school wrong.

Building a race car is exciting, but it’s also intimidating—and not everyone feels ready to dive into such an advanced, technical challenge. Our narrow focus limited who felt welcome and who felt capable of contributing.

So in 2023, we reimagined the organization with a little help from the Middlebury Consulting Club. The Middlebury Engineering Society was born, with a new mission: make engineering accessible for everyone, regardless of prior experience or interest level.

What We Do

MES is now a community where students can explore engineering at their own pace and on their own terms. Whether you're interested in learning how to laser cut for a personal project, tackling a long-term mechanical build, or leading STEM outreach events, there’s a place for you here.

As of 2024, we’ve officially established ourselves under the leadership of the Middlebury Maker Space, and we’ve grown into a vibrant, student-run community focused on three pillars:

Education

Biweekly Maker Space trainings help students get certified and explore specific tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and Adobe Illustrator.

Projects

We run collaborative, student-led engineering projects across semesters. Our most recent: building a working soapbox car from scratch.

Community Outreach

We partner with other student orgs to bring STEM to the broader community. In Spring 2024, we hosted a badge workshop with Women in Health Sciences and the Girl Scouts.

Get Involved

Whether you’re brand new to engineering or life-long tinkerer, you’re welcome here. Explore our pages to learn more about what we offer—and how you can get involved.

Maker Space Affiliation

We proudly call the Middlebury Maker Space our home. Most of our meetings and workshops are held in the Maker Space in Johnson, where we have full access to an incredible range of tools—from 3D printers and laser cutters to a wood shop and CNC machines.

We work closely with Daniel Houghton, the Maker Space’s wonderful director, to help students turn their ideas into reality. Whether you're just beginning your engineering journey or diving into a long-term build, MES is here to give you the skills and confidence to explore what the Maker Space has to offer.

If you’re curious about Maker Space programming beyond MES, you can explore independent workshops, open lab hours, and certifications through their official website.

Maker Space

Leadership at MES

We understand that many of our members—especially those pursuing the Dartmouth or Columbia Dual Degree programs—only spend three years at Middlebury. This shortened timeline can make it difficult for long-term projects to be completed, for technical knowledge to be passed down, and for students to gain leadership experience before they leave. We also understand that students lead busy lives, so we recognize the importance of flexibility in order for students to get involved but maintain a balance with their other commitments.

To address these challenges, we’ve structured our organization a little differently.

Project-Based Leadership

Instead of centering the club around one multi-year effort (like the original Formula Hybrid car), we now focus on smaller, semester- or year-long projects. This format allows students to:

Complete meaningful work in a shorter time frame
Get hands-on engineering experience
Lead projects without needing to be at Middlebury all four years

Any student can propose a project and apply to be a Project Leader. Once approved, they’ll build and guide a team through design, prototyping, and completion. Project Leaders are part of the executive board for the duration of their project.

Executive Board Structure

President

Workshop Lead

Oversees the organization and supports all project and committee leaders.

Designs and runs the Maker Space workshop curriculum.

Outreach & Communications Manager

Coordinates social media, newsletters, and community partnerships.

Treasurer

Project Leads

Manages funding, purchases, and budgets for club activities.

Lead short- or medium-term builds with small teams. These roles are flexible and rotate as projects are completed.

Interested in Leading? We’re always looking for new leaders—whether you want to run a project, design a workshop, or help grow our community. Reach out here or stop by one of our meetings to learn more.