The current Faculty of Mechanical Engineering consists of a total of 20 institutes and scientific departments covering most of the technical disciplines and engineering expertise in mechanical engineering. These range from technical mathematics and physics, mechanics, thermodynamics and material sciences, to individual production technologies, mechatronics, control and automation applied in the design or design, construction and production in the fields of automotive, aerospace, production machinery, chemical and manufacturing industries, energy and environmental engineering.
This year's important anniversary is commemorated by a number of events. The professional and social events were opened with a festive meeting of the Scientific Council of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Bethlehem Chapel on 16 May 2024. Miroslav Španiel, Prof. PaedDr. Radka Wildová, CSc., Chief Director of the Section of Higher Education, Science and Research of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Physical Education, gave a speech. She appreciated the tradition and the faculty's ability to adapt teaching to new scientific knowledge and wished the faculty all the best for the years to come. Doc. Vojtěch Petráček, Rector of CTU, then recalled the extraordinarily long tradition of the faculty and the top results achieved by scientists at the faculty throughout its history. In conclusion, he thanked the scientists and teachers for their work and expressed his conviction that Faculty of Mechanical Engineering will continue to shape the trends of modern engineering in the 21st century.
The next speaker was the Dean Emeritus, Professor Petr Zuna. He stated that modern engineering has undergone radical changes in 160 years, it is a carrier of progress and its results affect almost all fields of society. He concluded by expressing his belief in the need for concrete action and stressed the importance of engineers and primary and secondary school teachers being able to enthuse the young generation about technology.
This was followed by an interesting speech by the Dean of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, doc. M. Španiel. He recalled the basic historical milestones of the faculty in the context of changes in science, technology and society, as the generations of engineers changed from 1864 to the present. He said that in the last decade we have faced new and complex challenges and the anniversary is a commitment for us to meet them together with the next generation of graduates in the best possible way. He also thanked all the deans and teachers emeritus for their work and achievements in the field of science. The festive session was concluded with the awarding of Czech and foreign personalities who have made a significant contribution to the development of technical sciences, industrial applications and production in engineering fields and have contributed to the development of CTU and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In the evening of the same day, the programme in the Bethlehem Chapel continued with a festive concert of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of CTU. The protagonist was soprano Markéta Fassati accompanied by the Fassati Ensemble chamber orchestra. By organizing the concert, the mechanical engineers confirmed that science and art complement each other perfectly.
On the following day, 17 May, the celebrations continued in Bethlehem Chapel with the professional conference "Engineering Education for Industry in the Czech Republic". In his introduction, doc. M. Španiel, dean of the faculty, emphasized the importance of communication between the faculty and industrial partners. He stated that the knowledge of representatives of major companies who are in contact with our graduates can be an inspiration for the education of other students. Representatives of six major companies spoke at the conference. For Wikov Industry, a.s. Ing. Jan Vosátka, Technical Director, for TOS Varnsdorf Technical Director Ing. Tomáš Kozlok, for Škoda Auto Ing. Martin Hrdlička, Ph.D., Head of the Chassis and Powertain Development. After the break, Ing. Petr Jinda, Executive Vice President of AERO Vodochody Aerospace, a.s., and then Ing. Jiří Kyncl, CEO and Chairman of the Board of RHI Magnesita Czech Republic, a.s. The last speakers were Ing. Václav Novotný, Head of the Design Department and Ing. Jiří Jeník, Head of the Calculation Department from the Engineering Division of Škoda JS.
The speakers briefly informed about the focus of their companies, cooperation with academia and participation in the education of technicians. At the same time, they presented their findings regarding the experience with graduates of the faculty and especially valuable comments on the improvement of the educational process. There was also a rich discussion on the individual presentations. The professional conference thus confirmed that the shared experiences of industrial partners with graduates will contribute to further improving the training of mechanical engineers not only in the strategic planning of study programmes, but also in the short term as a direct inspiration of individual participants in their daily teaching activities.
Photography from the festive assembly of the council can be found HERE.
Photogallery from the gala concert ncan be found HERE.
Photo gallery from the conference "Engineering Education for Industry in the Czech Republic" can be found HERE.
