Department Chair, and Associate Chair, Undergraduate studies, pose pose with 2 of the 3 awardees
Monday, June 17, 2024

Students win distinguished Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering Gold Medal

Three outstanding graduating students have won the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering (CSME) Gold Medal. This award recognizes students who have achieved outstanding academic achievement in Mechanical Engineering. We were pleased to honour Matthew Krmpotic on the undergraduate level, Kyra Wanuch on the master’s level, and Run Ze Gao on the doctoral level.  

We asked a few of our award winners what this award means to them, and here’s what they had to say:

Matthew Krmpotic standing with Mike Collins and Bill Owen.
From left to right: Mike Collins, Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, CSME awardee, Matthew Krmpotic, and Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies, Bill Owen.

“I've always wanted to make a positive difference in the world, but I find that it can be difficult at times to know if I'm in the right place and doing the right thing. Especially when I'm surrounded by so many intelligent people here at the University of Waterloo, I wonder if I'll be able to make contributions to the field of Mechanical Engineering like my peers and professors have. This award is meaningful to me because I can use it as a reminder that I have excelled and do have the potential to make a difference in this field. As many of us probably know, there will be highs and lows in life, and we all experience both. This award is something to be proud of during the highs and something to hold onto during the lows, which is a reminder that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Overall, I am very grateful that the hard work I've put in over the last 4 and 2/3 years has been recognized by such a prestigious award.” – Matthew Krmpotic, BASc ’24

Department chair and student posing for a picture.
From left to right: Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Chair Mike Collins and CSME awardee Run Ze Gao.

"Receiving the CSME Gold Medal is one of the greatest honours for me. It is rare for graduate students to receive such recognition for their dedication and hard work. I believe that every PhD student deserves an award like this one, making me feel incredibly fortunate to have this privilege. I am deeply grateful to the University of Waterloo's Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, the Faculty of Engineering, my advisors, Professor Carolyn Ren and Professor Clark Dickerson, my colleagues, friends, and family for their unwavering support throughout my PhD journey. Their encouragement made it possible for me to complete my thesis. I hope my work will contribute positively to Canada and the world." – Run Ze Gao, PhD ‘24

Congratulations to our award winners, and all the best in your very bright futures!