Local graduate finds success in hometown

Crawford Jubilee Medal in Social Sciences

For David Crawford, there’s something about Victoria that keeps him coming back. As a student, as a professional, and as a citizen, he just can’t get enough.

"I grew up here, I’ve gone to school here, I did most of my co-op terms here, and now I work here," he laughs. "It’s a good place to be."

Crawford, who is the top student in mechanical engineering, says that while he originally chose UVic so that he could be close to his family and work on his father’s boat on the weekends, he stayed because of the people.

"In mechanical engineering, when you’re taking six classes at a time, group work and collaboration is essential," says Crawford. "I’ve been so fortunate to have worked with such outstanding fellow students, and to have been so supported by my professors. I couldn’t have done a degree like this without such a great group of people."

Crawford was active in the co-op program, and spent two terms in Calgary developing software to monitor anomalies in the TransCanada pipeline system. He then returned to UVic to work as a research assistant under Dr. Henning Struchtrup, where he studied the energy and efficiency of theoretical turbines.

He also worked on and off for Chatwin Engineering in Victoria, where he’s currently employed. Crawford is proud to see his degree go to good use, working with senior engineers at Chatwin to help repair leaky condos in the city.

Crawford is now pondering where he’d like to attend graduate school. He hopes to delve into the world of nanotechnology in his future studies but has yet to decide whether he’d prefer a career as a professional engineer or as an academic.

"I’m thinking of going into teaching," he says. "My experience at UVic has been so phenomenal that I’d like to share that with future students. Working at UVic would be amazing—plus I could stay in Victoria!"