Prof. Aleksander Walczak, DSc. PhD. Master Mariner

Prof. Aleksander Walczak is a outstanding educator of numerous generations of navigators in Poland, a true contributor to Polish marine education, a teacher, a scientist and a practitioner.

He was born in 1930 in Grajewo. He graduated from the Navigation Faculty at the School for Naval Officers and the Marine Faculty at Higher Business School in Sopot. He obtained his doctoral degree from the Polytechnics of Szczecin in 1971, and his professorship in engineering seven years later.

He was the originator of a merger between the State School of Deep-sea Fishery in Szczecin with the freshly reactivated State Marine School in Szczecin, where he had become the Head of the Faculty of Navigation and Fisheries. On establishing Higher Maritime School in Szczecin he was offered the post of the Dean of the Navigation Faculty, only to land the posts of vice-rector (1971-1978) and the rector (1978-1984 and 1990-1996). In that period the construction of m/s Nawigator XXI was initiated, a training and research vessel owned by the School. Officially appointed, in the period 1985-1989 he acted as a Polish representative in the International Maritime Organisation, holding at the same time the position of the Head of the Polish Marine Mission as a consultant for maritime affairs in the Polish Embassy in London.

Professor Walczak has taught thousands of officers of naval, merchant and fishing fleet. He has been the co-author of grids and curricula of degree programmes in navigation as well as specialist and qualification courses for officers of transport and fishing fleets. Apart from nautical subjects he also has given monographic lectures, lectures on scientific research methodology, and led diploma seminars.

A significant portion of his activity has always been popularisation of information about the sea and maritime economy (his works comprise over 250 publications , including 35 books, monographs and scripts). He focused mainly on safety of navigation - the fundamental research issue of marine navigation.

For his active participation in numerous organisations, his scientific and educational activity he has been distinguished many times with state awards and distinctions, including Commander’s Cross and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In 2013 the Maritime University of Szczecin conferred upon him an honorary award of the Sea Dog for his lifetime contributions to the maritime economy.