Otto Hänsel Prize 2024: Award for outstanding student work

This year's Otto Hänsel Prizes were awarded on March 21, 2024. The Otto Hänsel Prize is awarded annually in recognition of outstanding student theses in the field of processing machinery and packaging technology.

Ralf-Otto Hänsel - son of the founder, Prof. Jens-Peter Majschak, and Richard Clemens - Managing Director of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, presented the award at the Conference Fachtagung Verarbeitungmaschinen und Verpackungstechnik.

This year's award winners are:

• Dipl.-Ing. Lukas Herbst, who received the award for his diploma thesis on "Predicting the processing behavior of macroalgae". His research contributes to unlocking the potential of macroalgae as a sustainable resource for the production of bio-based packaging materials and other products.

• Dipl.-Ing. Stephan Pfeiffer, who was honored for his diploma thesis on the "Construction of a test rig for in-situ identification of the processing window of plastic films". His work allows to characterize the processing behaviour of films during the process.

• Lena Bracken, whose project work included the "Development of a calculation tool for the economic evaluation of pharmaceutical packaging machines". Her work provides important support for decision-making processes in the pharmaceutical industry and helps to improve efficiency and profitability.

• Laura Wittich, who was honored for her project work "Analysis and extension of the working space of a serial kinematic system". Her research in the field of motion technology creates new opportunities for the development of versatile automated systems.

The work of these prizewinners represents the diversity of processing and packaging technology. The Otto Hänsel Prize recognizes their commitment and outstanding achievements and encourages them to continue on their path to further success.