By training the specialists of tomorrow, through research, but also by working together with other scientific institutions and various companies, the TH OWL is making an important contribution to making its home region even smarter. Accordingly, the motto of the 2024 annual reception was “working for a smarter region”.
After the joint welcome with university chancellor Nicole Soltwedel, moderator Julia Ures charmingly led the audience through the colorful program. In his annual address, University President Professor Dr. Jürgen Krahl took those present on an exciting journey through the past academic year, this time under the guiding principle of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Professor Krahl did not fail to mention facts and figures, such as that the TH OWL has 173 professors and almost 660 employees in teaching, research and administration, as well as a good 5,800 students in 52 degree programs, or In the “StudyCheck” ranking, the university is ranked third among the most popular universities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Professor Krahl did not fail to mention: “Nationwide, we are ranked 11th. This may not put us in the top ten. But we are among the best dozen!”
Professor Krahl also emphasized the importance of sustainability for the TH OWL. “If you darken the future, you shouldn't be surprised if the past seems glorified – you miss the present,” said Professor Krahl. It is important to look ahead with courage. It is not that difficult to be sustainable yourself. Taking the train instead of the car for business trips works quite well. “At least outside of OWL,” he joked. And to stick with the topic of public transport and railways: the MONOCAB project, in which the TH OWL is the consortium leader, is a real export hit, as shown by international media reports and inquiries from abroad. ”Just recently, guests from Hokkaido [Japan] were here to see the monorail.”
And in late summer, guests from India, who are in need of a decentralized and clean energy production and distribution for 600,000 villages, had come to see how a bioreactor with urban bacteria in the KraftwerkLand project in Dörentrup is turning carbon dioxide into green natural gas. Some of the know-how from the Power PlantLand will also be incorporated into the UrbanLand mobility center, which is to be completed at the Innovation Campus in Lemgo by the end of 2026.
However, the university president not only praised the projects and progress in teaching and research, but also the most important group after the students: the administration. “The 17 sustainability goals are both a responsibility and an obligation. And that includes a strong administration as the backbone of democracy.”
Another interesting part of the evening's program were the three panel discussions, in which the projects Bildungsbrücken, TRiNNOVATION and PROFuture were presented by participants. While Bildungsbrücken is about the close collaboration between academic and vocational education and the networking and interlinking of education systems, TRiNNOVATION focuses on the transfer to civil society. In short, the aim is to present topics from research and science in a way that is easy to understand and to bring them to a broad public in an understandable way, also in the form of podcasts or clips on TikTok. PROFuture, on the other hand, is about attracting and training young professors. Doctoral student Alexandra Schaefer hopes to have successfully completed her doctorate in three years. She particularly likes the option of being able to choose between university teaching or working in a commercial enterprise afterwards.
The award ceremonies that followed were another highlight of the annual reception. These underlined the importance of research and teaching as well as the commitment of students, but also of technical and administrative staff at TH OWL.
This year, the research prize went to Professor Dr. Markus Lange-Hegermann. Over the past seven years, he has conducted intensive research and published extensively in the field of machine learning. “He is a young colleague who embodies the role of a professor as we need it for the successful future of our university. He is passionate about research and has a heart for teaching and transfer,” said Professor Dr. Stefan Witte, Vice President for Research and Transfer, in his laudatory speech.
The award winner has particularly focused on developing new model types for machine learning. “This is how models that are technically easier to interpret are created. His approach is exciting because it is data-driven and probabilistic: it not only enables the identification of a unique solution, but also, in the case of non-unique solutions, the estimation of the uncertainty in the prediction. This estimation of the uncertainty in the prediction has far-reaching advantages in technical areas, especially with regard to safety issues and questions with few known data points,” explained Professor Witte. “These topics fit into the Institute Industrial IT [inIT], where he has successfully built up a working group. He is the established expert in the field of machine learning at inIT.” The students benefit from this, as the prizewinner involves them in research projects and offers relevant courses.
On the subject of courses: this year's teaching award from TH OWL went to Professor Dr. Jan Schneider from the Department of Life Science Technologies. He was nominated under the motto “Sustainable Development Goals”. This is because he implements the UN sustainability goals outstandingly in his work. “He is someone who understands how to integrate global challenges in the field of life science technologies so that students are not only prepared for the future professionally, but also personally,” praised Professor Dr. Yvonne-Christin Knepper-Bartel, Vice President for Education and Sustainability.
“In his lectures, he addresses the sustainability goals not as abstract ideas, but as living topics that affect us all. And the best part is that he not only imparts knowledge, but also courage. The courage to question things. The courage to shape the world.”
His holistic approach is particularly noteworthy. “He brings a mixture of scientific expertise and human empathy to the classroom,” emphasized Professor Knepper-Bartel. “His teaching methods are absolutely varied and practical. From active involvement in research projects to deeper insights into the Future Food Factory OWL, he offers his students numerous opportunities to get involved and grow beyond themselves.”
Professor Schneider demands a lot, but he also gives a lot: support, encouragement, and genuine appreciation. His students were particularly impressed by the way he not only promotes diversity in his team, but also sees it as a strength. “The feedback from students shows how much they appreciate this type of teaching. They talk about a professor who manages to convey complex content in an understandable way, who is passionate about it and motivates them to get the best out of themselves,” said the speaker.
This year's student body prize for outstanding commitment goes to Eva Hafenstein from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics. Her daily tasks as a dean's office assistant include timetables and exam schedules. “Eva Hafenstein is always a reliable point of contact for students. She listens to their concerns with an open mind, and she has an unwavering patience and a big heart. She does this with more dedication and commitment than one might expect. Students always feel that they can talk to Eva Hafenstein as equals,” said Niels Isendahl, chairman of the General Student Committee (AStA), in his laudatory speech.
Last but not least, the DAAD Prize for outstanding social commitment was awarded: “It is an honor for me to recognize today a person who has achieved so much in just two years, who has managed to build bridges between students, between cultures and between academic excellence and social commitment: Omar Abdelhady,” said Professor Dr. Uta Pottgiesser, Vice President for Culture, Communication and International Affairs. “It is a particular pleasure to give this laudatory speech. This is because the DAAD Prize is associated with special values that we at TH OWL particularly appreciate: a sense of responsibility, a willingness to help, and a desire to strengthen the community. Omar Abdelhady has actively contributed to university life. This is particularly evident in his commitment to the field of robotics and digitalization and to the establishment of the university project Robbau.”
Particularly impressive is his ability to combine technical projects with social and community-based approaches. In addition, the award winner has made a name for himself as a supporter and mentor for his fellow students. “He is a central point of contact in the Master Integrated Design in Detmold - especially for the new international students, helping them to find their way around their studies and at the university. He is always patient and empathetic, and supports them as a buddy wherever necessary,” said Professor Pottgiesser in praise of his work.
This year's prizewinners can be seen in short videos at www.th-owl.de/ausgezeichnet.
Before the show band led the guests to the get-together in the foyer of the main building, there was an entertaining raffle: similar to the series “Wunderschön” on WDR television, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last month, there was a backpack full of beautiful things to be won, which Michael Ketler was delighted to receive at the end.
