Our Team
James Sease
President
James is a 4th year mechanical engineering student. He joined AERO in his first year, and has worked on a number of projects since then, from minor adjustments to payload or autopilot systems to leading the development of new aircraft. After he graduates James hopes to work in the autonomous aircraft or robotics industries.
Alec Krawciw
Chief Engineer
Alec is a third-year mechanical engineering student. Now in his third year on the AERO team, Alec is excited to be the Chief Engineer. Alec enjoys working with unmanned systems but is passionate about anything that moves autonomously. Alec is looking forward to working with all of the disciplines to make sure that the team has a cohesive system for the next competition in 2020. Alec cannot wait for more test flights to start!
Nihal Shavdia
Aeronautical Lead
Nihal is a 2nd year mechanical engineering student. After completing his first co-op with AERO, Nihal is excited to be joining the executive team as the Aeronautical Lead. Nihal has an active interest in designing and manufacturing air-frames and unmanned vehicles, and plans to improve AERO’s current aircraft systems, the Raven and the Ranger.
Darian Langeler
Electrical Lead
Darian is a 2nd year electrical engineering student. After dedicating much time to AERO during a co-op work term, he is invested in the success of AERO and it’s electrical team. His primary focus is in the development and fabrication of the circuit boards of the various onboard systems and payloads. Darian contributed heavily in the success of the power management board and payload drop mechanism projects used at the 2019 competition.
Janelle Starkiewicz
Mechanical Co-Lead
Janelle is a motivated 4th year biomedical engineering student. In the mechanical engineering stream, she has a passion for mechanical design, manufacturing, aviation and drones. In her past two years at part of the club, she has worked on a variety of projects ranging from weight reduction adjustments to payloads with various objectives. Janelle enjoys seeing the club’s projects evolve from idea to done.
John Gorenstein
Mechanical Co-Lead
Johnathan is a 3rd year mechanical engineering student. When he joined AERO last year, John was excited to help out and learn wherever he could. Now he hopes to help others do the same. John has a passion for theory more than anything else, and is looking forward to developing AERO’s flight systems.
Dragon Prevost
Software Co-Lead
Dragon is a 4th year Computer Science student with a passion for aviation and drone technologies. He has spent the last two years developing aspects of the teams surveillance and networking systems. Dragon enjoys working with UVic AERO as they problem solve and innovate to evolve the unmanned aircraft.
Avery Kushner
Software Co-Lead
Avery is a 4th year computer science student who loves solving software related problems. He has been working with the team developing imaging, networking, and data view systems for the past 10 months. Avery is excited to join the executive team and make meaningful contributions to UVic AERO’s software systems.
David Alaga
Director of Finance
David is a 4th-year Electrical Engineering student and has been a member of UVic AERO since 2016. He enjoys learning about electrical systems however, this year he is focusing on UVic AERO’s finances & logistics and strives to gain valuable learning experience while putting his best foot forward to support the team. It is David’s passion for learning and team spirit that keeps him motivated and that is why he is enthusiastic about making a positive contribution to the club during the upcoming year.
Dr. Afzal Suleman
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Afzal Suleman is a professor in the department of mechanical engineering. He has extensive experience in the aerospace field and is currently an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has been advising and mentoring the UVic AERO team since its inception at the University of Victoria in 2002.