Aleksander (Alex) Czekanski, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering and the founding director of York University’s Centre for Automotive Research, has been selected as the executive vice-president and upcoming president of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME).
Czekanski has made significant contributions to the CSME through his leadership and dedication to innovative engineering education. Just after joining York University, he launched the Mechanical Engineering Club in 2014–15, the first CSME student chapter at York University.
He is also a founding chair of the CSME Student National Design Competition, which provides undergraduate students in mechanical engineering and other disciplines in Canada an opportunity to showcase their engineering skills and achievements to a wide audience. In the 2014–17 competitions, teams of students were challenged to design and build low-cost 3D printers. Beginning in 2018, the competition took on a new format, where dozens of students began showcasing their capstone design projects. In 2018, Czekanski was the Congress Chair of the CSME International Congress at York University, with more than 200 participants attending and 250 papers being presented. In the last two years, he has led the CSME Congresses Committee to support future CSME Congresses.
Czekanski is the recipient of many CSME honours and awards, including the Robert W. Angus Medal, which is awarded annually to a Canadian engineer for outstanding contributions to the management and practice of mechanical engineering. He is also recognized as a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering.