Engineering excellence award created in memory of graduate Alex

The University of Northampton is proud to announce the creation of an engineering award named in memory of a former student.

The Alex MacDonald Award for Lift Engineering, launched in association with LECS (UK), will be presented every year to MSc Lift Engineering student with the highest quality and innovative dissertation.

LECS UK, a leading independent vertical transportation consultancy, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and is taking the opportunity to introduce the award in memory of its colleague, Alex MacDonald, who died in February.

An outstanding engineer, Alex, 29, was drawn to the industry after gaining a degree in architecture from the University of Portsmouth. He went on to complete various engineering qualifications, culminating in a degree in Lift Engineering from the University of Northampton. He was due to start a Master’s Degree in Lift Engineering at Northampton, in September.

Alex, who was from Bexhill in East Sussex, was leading a groundbreaking project in London’s Docklands which was set to attract worldwide attention for its bespoke design.

LECS UK managing director, Dave Cooper, said: “As an engineering consultant working in this area for more than 35 years, I am a keen supporter of ongoing education, learning and bringing new blood into the industry. Our dear colleague Alex MacDonald was a great example of the best of the next generation coming into this sector and is greatly missed by all who worked with him.

“It is a privilege to be MD of LECS UK on its 30th anniversary and we hope this award will encourage all MSc students to push the boundaries in thought and research developments, as well as create a legacy for Alex who was an exceptional engineer.”

Professor Stefan Kaczmarczyk, Postgraduate Programme Leader for Lift Engineering at the University, said: “The University has been proud to be associated with LECS UK over the years and with Alex who studied here. We hope this annual award will inspire and motivate our students to achieve their academic and professional goals while always remembering Alex MacDonald.”

The Alex MacDonald Award for Lift Engineering, plus £200 prize money, will be awarded annually for an outstanding dissertation submitted by the MSc Lift Engineering students at the University of Northampton.  The inaugural award will be presented to the winner at the University in 2020.

LECS UK has delivered some of the world’s most exciting projects to include London’s only public transport cable car, the large-scale US$40 million renovation of the Armenian Marriott Hotel, Yerevan as well as the development of Queensway Quay, Gibraltar.