The mechanical engineering lab at State University smelled of ozone, scorched solder, and lukewarm instant ramen.
It was a stark, aggressive contrast to the quiet mahogany luxury of Vance & Sterling’s executive suite. Here, on the ground floor of the Hargrove Applied Sciences Building, three hundred square feet of concrete floor was littered with lithium-polymer batteries, carbon-fiber frame spars, and oscilloscope leads. Fluorescent tubes buzzed overhead with a low, metallic hum, illuminating a maze of workstations.
It was 11:15 PM on a Tuesday in early October.
I sat cross-legged on a worn stool near the central testing cage, a high-end laptop balanced precariously on my knees. I had traded my Manhattan tailored blazers for a fitted charcoal Yale sweater with the sleeves pushed past m
