Before the party, the young people from Lemgo’s four academic departments—“Computer Science and Automation,” “Agriculture, Food, and Health,” “Production and Technology,” and “Economics”—had received their bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral diplomas during the official ceremony.
The hat toss was a true “magic moment”—and a symbolic start to the evening and to a new chapter in their lives. The graduates took the opportunity to take commemorative photos with fellow students, family, and friends.
The joy of having earned their degrees was palpable everywhere. Amid a relaxed atmosphere, good music, refreshing drinks, and a small buffet, those in attendance reflected on their time as students at TH OWL. The successful celebration, which lasted into the early morning hours, provided a fitting setting for the transition to a new chapter in their lives.
It goes without saying that the graduates can be proud of their achievements. Of course, the departments are also very impressed, as we’ll report below.
The following students were honored as the top performers in their respective fields in the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Health (LLG):
- Cosmetics and Detergent Technology: Ronja Breuer, B.Sc.
- Pharmaceutical Technology: Elena Mara Obenhaus, B.Sc.
- Food Technology (specializing in Bakery and Confectionery Technology): Vanessa Sophie Weege, B.Sc.
- Industrial Biotechnology: Laura Herzog, B.Sc.
- Teacher Education for Vocational Colleges in Nutrition and Home Economics and Food Technology (in collaboration with the University of Paderborn): Evgeniya Wölfel, B.Ed.
- Precision Farming: Peter Schleining, B.Sc.
- Chemistry: Michael Thiele, B.Sc.
- Medical and Health Technology: Jana Gröning, B.Sc.
- Smart Health Sciences: Joel Niclas Dyck, M.Sc.
- Life Science Technologies (specialization in Processing in Life Sciences): Niklas Müller, M.Sc.
Furthermore, the VDI Ostwestfalen-Lippe e.V., in cooperation with TH OWL, awards the VDI Excellence Prize each year to an outstanding master’s thesis from the LLG department. The master’s thesis by Alena Kehmeier, M.Sc., was selected by a jury, in part because it “impressed with a high degree of independence, innovative approaches, outstanding experimental execution, and an exceptionally well-reasoned scientific discussion” and demonstrates “significant potential for transfer to industrial applications in the field of cosmetic active ingredient development.”
We also asked students from the LLG department what they would like to share in retrospect. It turned out that …
- some went on to pursue a master’s degree after completing their bachelor’s—both at TH OWL and at other colleges or universities, such as in Tübingen, Hamburg, or Bielefeld.
- some are already set to begin internships at renowned companies such as Henkel, while others have secured a working student position at Lippe Hospital.
- some are continuing to work as software testers or research assistants at inIT on a six-month project (an initiative by Trinnovation).
- Some have started a job immediately after completing their bachelor’s degree, for example as a junior developer at Stockmeier Chemie in Bielefeld, at a startup, in quality assurance at Schulte Fleisch- und Wurstwaren, or at the company where they completed their thesis.
Upon inquiry, the LLG department provided additional information, including further details:
- One graduate received a social scholarship while still a student, which was a special honor and source of support for him.
- One female graduate was the first person in her company to complete a dual degree program in the field of development.
- Despite initial concerns about whether returning to college at his age was the right decision, one graduate reports that his studies went smoothly; he particularly recalls the support from the professors, who were always approachable. He is currently considering pursuing a master’s degree while working—provided that it is compatible with his athletic ambitions.
- One graduate recounts her highlight from her bachelor’s program: a field trip to a pharmaceutical company in Bielefeld. She particularly remembers the enthusiastic technical discussions between students and the hosts. And she is particularly proud to have served as a tutor on multiple occasions for the modules “Differential and Integral Calculus” and “Probability and Statistics.” Professor Dr. Miriam Pein-Hackelbusch comments: “And rightly so!”
- For one graduate, life after college now includes modeling, while another performs regularly in theater productions.
- And another graduate began life after graduation with a ten-week trip to Australia.
Regarding yet another graduate, Vice Dean Professor Dr. Sebastian Ulrich writes: “Particularly noteworthy is the direct connection between his academic work and his current role in the PureSpore project. The project aims to convert previously underutilized by-products of the agricultural and food industries into high-quality, protein-rich food ingredients in the form of pastes and powders through fermentation using an ascomycete. To further develop this innovative idea, Florian Rempel received funding through Start-up Transfer.NRW for a period of 21 months. To advance both his scientific and entrepreneurial development, Rempel is pursuing a master’s degree in Applied Entrepreneurship in the Department of Economics at the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences alongside his work there.”
Speaking of economics—the “FBW” is also reporting on some outstanding graduates, namely:
- Stella Wolf, Business Administration, for her excellent grades and years of exceptional dedication in the field of controlling
- Jill Parkitny, Business Psychology, who graduated with the highest grade within the standard period of study
- Julian Moormann, Master’s in Applied Entrepreneurship, for successfully launching his product LiquidMate (coolant monitoring and automation; editor’s note) during his studies
- Jasmin Schockenbaum, Master’s in Applied Entrepreneurship, for being a serial founder of the startups “Tutormatics” and “Shuhari” and for being selected for the “30 Under 30” list by the international education and technology platform OEB Global. This makes her one of the 30 leading young figures in the field of learning and EdTech worldwide.
The Department of Computer Science and Automation (IAT) held a formal send-off for its graduates in the Audimax in Lemgo before the party.
Dean Professor Rainer Rasche took the opportunity to thank the young people for their trust in the educational programs offered by TH OWL and, in particular, by the department. Annette Kammerer and Nils Gillner, speaking on behalf of the student council, also expressed their gratitude to their graduating peers: They recalled many moments of camaraderie and emphasized the value of small gestures of mutual encouragement in everyday student life.
The student council recognized Moritz Baron, Philipp Beckmann, Eduard Berzeminskij, Akshay Chikhalkar, Rikin Kanai, Tim Lohrmeier, Sean Nagel, and Christian Weidemann for their exceptional commitment to committee work.
Toward the end of the ceremony, the top students in the IAT department were also honored for their excellent achievements; in the bachelor’s programs, these were:
- Tobit Müller (Applied Computer Science)
- Laura Sophie Schöne (Data Science)
- Max Günter and Arved Sachau (Digital Management Solutions)
- Jan Strothmann (Electrical Engineering)
- Moritz Baron and Simon Johann Böke (Technical Computer Science)
In the master’s programs, the honors went to:
- Tim Lohrmeier (Electrical Engineering)
- Luca Hackel (Information Technology).
The IAT Department is also pleased to announce the successful completion of Christoph-Alexander Holst’s doctoral dissertation on the topic “Designing Possibilistic Information Fusion Systems: Redundancy as a Criterion for Fusion Topologies.”
Of course, we also have updates from the Department of Production and Technology.
There were 43 graduates, including:
- A doctoral degree awarded to Dr.-Ing. Marvin Becker, whose dissertation was completed under joint supervision with TH OWL; the topic is “Analysis of the Influence of Various Design Features on the Failure Rate of Electrical Plug Contacts.”
- Four awards for the top students in their graduating class, who completed their studies within the standard period of study plus one semester:
- Eileen Osterloh, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) with a perfect grade of 1.0. The topic of her thesis is “Implementation of the Parameterization of CAD Models for the Diamond Instruments Product Group Using Model-Based Definition.”
- Fynn Steinke, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) with a final grade of 1.3. The topic of his thesis is “Data-Driven Methods and Algorithms for Optimizing Production Control and Manual Assembly in the Face of High Variant Diversity and Small to Medium Batch Sizes at a Company in the Electrical Industry.”
- Henning Leßmann, Master of Science (M.Sc.) with a final grade of 1.1. The topic of his thesis is “Development of a printed circuit board terminal with Push-X connection technology for a modular mounting rail enclosure.”
- Malte Roggatz, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) with a final grade of 2.0. The topic of his thesis is “Design of an Automated Manufacturing Cell for Panel Materials in Store Fixture Construction.”
