Ljubljana, 18 June 2025 – Today, the Ministry of Education and Science hosted the Engineering Spark 2025 Awards, presented by the We Will Be Engineers! initiative for outstanding achievements in encouraging young people to pursue engineering, technology, natural sciences, and innovation.
This year’s recipients include the Edvard Rusjan Team from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana. The team has impressed with its work and successes at the international Design, Build, Fly (DBF) aviation competition for many years. In April this year, in Arizona (USA), they achieved an outstanding 8th place among 112 teams from the world’s most prestigious universities, ranking them among the best in the history of Slovenian participation in this competition.
In addition to the excellent ranking, the award recognises the team’s broader story: years of teamwork, knowledge transfer between generations of students, original approaches, and the ability to apply knowledge to real engineering challenges. The team has succeeded in creating an aircraft that can withstand aerodynamic and structural challenges while retaining its precision-engineered design and functionality.
A key factor in this success is the mentor, Senior Lecturer dr. Igor Petrović. As the head of the Laboratory of Aeronautics and the Flight School FME UL (SI.ATO.029), he provides students with technical knowledge and valuable insight into the regulatory and safety aspects of modern aviation. With his expertise, dedication, and clear vision, he has been guiding them through challenging and innovative projects for many years, encouraging them to find advanced yet practical solutions.
Sincere congratulations to the entire team and their mentor! Your story beautifully illustrates how a combination of knowledge, creativity, and team spirit can produce world-class results and inspire a new generation of young engineers.
Photo: Andrej Križ
