April 2026

Department Meetings with Second-Year Students
April, 1 – Meet with department representatives and find out what options are available for your bachelor’s thesis at each department. The event was intended for all students who will be deciding on their specialization for their bachelor’s project and thesis at the start of the next academic year. The departments presented their topics and areas of focus, showcased examples of successfully defended bachelor’s theses, offered personal consultations, and provided an opportunity to ask graduates about their experiences.

FME TUL Academic Senate Meeting
April, 1 – The 16th meeting of the TUL Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Academic Senate took place.

Surface Treatments of Materials
April, 1 – We organized a workshop on the topic of surface treatments of materials for second-year students at the Jergym Gymnasium and Secondary Vocational School of Pedagogy in Liberec. At our faculty’s Department of Materials, they had the opportunity to learn about current trends in materials research – not only surface treatments but also geopolymers – to try out advanced microscopes, and to see how tribological tests are conducted.

Presentation of Follow-up Study Programs
April, 7 – For students deciding where to continue their studies after completing their bachelor’s degree. Program coordinators presented the content, focus, and specific features of each program, career opportunities for graduates, students’ creative activities, the connection between academic study and practical experience, and other competencies developed through the program. The program included time for questions and discussion.

Linking Science with Physics and Mathematics Education
April, 8 – We gave students from Jergym Gymnasium and SOŠPg in Liberec a glimpse into current research at our faculty and helped them connect it to their physics and chemistry classes. This time, we focused with the third-year students on (bio)polymers—their applications, sustainability, processing technologies , and characteristic properties. As part of a hands-on workshop, we also discussed the important topic that not all bioplastics are automatically eco-friendly and biodegradable, and we focused on mechanical recycling of plastics as one way to support the circular economy.

Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials
April, 15 – The Department of Materials Science hosted a meeting and lecture by Dr. Martin Palma and Dr. Frank Stein from the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials.

Representatives from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering were part of an academic delegation to the U.S.
April – Our representatives, Assoc. Prof. Michal Petrů and Dr. Pavel Srb, were part of the largest Czech academic delegation to the U.S. in recent years, organized by DZS. Over the course of six days, together with 12 Czech universities, they visited Chicago and Cedar Rapids and opened up new opportunities for collaboration. Under the banner of the “Study in Czechia” initiative, meetings were held with 22 universities and institutions, and discussions took place with an additional 12 experts and academics, including Czech scientists working in the U.S. Host universities: The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Iowa, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. International cooperation relies primarily on people: face-to-face meetings are key to building trust, and follow-up is essential for turning contacts into concrete collaboration. Interest in Central Europe is growing in the U.S., which strengthens the Czech Republic’s position as a relevant partner in the region. And one final detail: “Midwest nice” really does exist—and it makes collaboration significantly easier.

We signed a memorandum with the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMASS)
April, 16 – Vice Dean Michal Petrů and Professor Radek Škoda met this week at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMASS) to discuss the further development of cooperation. The result is a signed memorandum, ratified by Rector Aleš Kocourek and a representative of UMASS. The partnership will focus on education, student and faculty exchanges, and the development of joint projects (e.g., Interaction, Interexcelence). We are thus moving international cooperation from the planning stage directly into practice. UMASS is one of the prestigious state universities with a long tradition in mechanical engineering, robotics, the textile industry, economics, civil engineering, and science and research. Other points of interest include the university’s own nuclear reactor and the historical connection to Francis—the inventor of the famous Francis turbine. The next stop will be universities in Chicago, where meetings will be held with American universities, Czech academics working in the U.S., and Czech community institutions as part of an academic mission by Czech universities to the U.S.

Field Trip to Denso Manufacturing s.r.o.
April, 17 – Another excursion organized by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; this time, 15 students visited the Denso Manufacturing s.r.o. facility.

International Visit from IPCA to TUL
April, 28 – A delegation from the Portuguese university IPCA, a TUL partner within the RUN-EU alliance, visited TUL and specifically the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The guests toured the plasma sputtering laboratory at the Department of Materials Science, the laboratories at the Department of Glass Machinery and Robotics, and the joint FUA and FS research facility, where scientists are conducting research on the antibacterial properties of surfaces.

Hot-Dip Galvanizing and Waste Recycling
April, 29 – The Department of Materials organized lectures by industry experts. Ing. Petr Strzyž from the Association of Czech and Slovak Galvanizing Plants discussed hot-dip galvanizing and corrosion protection using zinc coatings. Ing. Jakub Ludvík from COREZINC discussed innovative technologies for zinc processing and recycling, which the company is developing at its own research and innovation center.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
April, 29 – The Department of Production Systems and Automation hosted a lecture by Dr. Erdi Daşdemir on the topic “UAV Route Planning in Wildfire Response: from Data Collection to Incident Management.” The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in dynamic environments requires advanced decision-making methods – that go beyond the scope of conventional control. The lecture presented two applications of UAV route planning solved using operations research tools. It demonstrated how these problems can be modeled using mixed-integer programming and introduced solution approaches developed to address their computational complexity. Specific examples were used to illustrate how operations research can support the practical planning of UAV missions and contribute to more effective, data-driven decision-making.