Successful 10th Boysen PhD Days in the northern Black Forest

From June 19 to 21, 2024, doctoral students and their supervisors from the universities of Dresden, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, who are funded by the Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation, gathered in the northern Black Forest for the 10th Boysen Doctoral Student Days.

At the invitation of the Boysen Group, a warm welcome dinner was held at the Landgasthof und Hotel Hirsch in Altensteig on the evening of June 19, 2024, providing a solid foundation for the coming days and a good introduction to the upcoming academic exchanges. The hosts were also present with the Managing Director Rolf Geisel, the Vice President of the Boysen Group Dr. Till Scharf since September 2023, the Head of Pre-Development Dr. Andreas Dreizler and others. The evening was filled with laughter and joy. The warmth and hospitality of Ms. Kaufmann and her team from Landgasthof Hirsch made everyone feel at home.

On Thursday, June 20, 2024, we had the honor of inaugurating the Boysen Group's newest building in Simmersfeld, where last year there was only a green field: the BAK Development Center, a development center for electromobility, hydrogen technologies, fuel cells and environmental and energy technology. The schedule for the 39 presentations over one and a half days was tight and excellently organized by Ms. Werler, Assistant to the Board of the Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation, and Prof. Fasoulas, Chairman of the Foundation. Dr. Till Scharf gave the opening speech and showed great interest in the content of the lectures. For him, the PhD Days were a premiere. Prof. Fasoulas also gave an inspiring opening speech and moderated the entire event.

The doctoral students from the 2nd funding year onwards presented the current status of their research in a ten-minute presentation, followed by questions from the auditorium. Those in their first year of funding had time to briefly present their projects in a two-minute pitch and then present and discuss them in more detail with interested parties in a subsequent poster session. The presentations covered a wide range of topics, from environmental technologies to social sciences and engineering, in line with the interdisciplinary approach of the Research Training Group.

Prof. Antonio Hurtado gave an overview of the development of the Boysen-TU Dresden- Research Training Group as an introduction to the presentations from Dresden from the afternoon of June 20, 2024 and explained, among other things, the special feature of the Research Training Group in its fourth generation. He invited the participants to the Autumn School 2024 organized in Dresden, which, in addition to the exchange at the doctoral student days, can serve as a connecting link for cross-location cooperation between the three universities.

At the end of the first day, a guided tour of the two adjacent BAK production plants vividly demonstrated the willingness and desire for change that the Boysen Group, originally a traditional supplier for exhaust gas treatment in the automotive industry, is actively living in these times of change. The Boysen Museum was also open to visitors, who were given a guided tour by Managing Director Rolf Geisel. This is also located in a new building, which had already housed the doctoral student days in 2022 and 2023, in the "Boysen World", a 3-storey multifunctional building with over 2,700 m² of usable space. Rolf Geisel proudly presented the history of Boysen's development and shared personal and inspiring stories from his many years of experience in the company, spanning over 52 years. Boysen products from the very beginning were on display, including a baby carriage with a patented push direction change, canisters with a patented handle and spout, and vintage cars such as a Porsche, a BMW, Mercedes, NSU and Isetta, as well as Zündapp and Kreidler Florett two-wheelers.

During the dinner after the first day of lectures, Mr. Geisel gave an impressive speech, which has always been a highlight of the PhD Days. He reiterated Boysen's commitment to change in today's world: "We don't know what the world will look like in the next few years, and we're not sure if our decisions are right, but doing nothing is absolutely unacceptable." Dr. Anna Martius presented him with a small gift as a thank you from Dresden and in memory of the Boysen-TU Dresden Graduate School.

On Friday, June 21, 2024, the doctoral students continued their presentations and in the final section "Prize-worthy work" and "What became of ...?" the winner of the 2023 Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation Prize of the University of Stuttgart, Dr. Svenja Stiber, was invited. She presented her work on the topic of "Novel porous coatings for performance benefits and cost reduction of  polymer exchange membrane water electrolyser". An inspiring role model for all doctoral students!

After a worthy conclusion, at which Ms. Werler was explicitly thanked, at which Prof. Fasoulas, Dr. Scharf and Mr. Geisel found appreciative farewell words, after an excellent lunch with spontaneous applause for the team from the Landgasthof Hirsch, everyone made their way home.

The doctoral students not only presented their research results, they also deepened their bonds with colleagues, mentors and industry experts. These days were full of knowledge exchange and inspiration, from which everyone benefited and which gave them confidence for future challenges. We would like to express our sincere thanks for the excellent organization and hosting of the Doctoral Days 2024. We look forward to seeing you again in Altensteig next year!