Day of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering 2024

On June 22, 2024, almost 240 guests celebrated the Day of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the Boulevardtheater Dresden. At this year's ceremony, more than 60 graduates were given a ceremonial send-off into professional life, 13 doctoral candidates were congratulated on the successful completion of their dissertations and prizes with a total value of over 15,000 euros were awarded.

Greeting from the Dean

Prof. Michael Beckmann, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering, welcomed and congratulated all participating graduates, prize donors and guests. In his speech, he addressed the current threats posed by climate change and expressed his optimism about the role of engineering in overcoming them: "Humanity has always succeeded in finding an answer through the art of engineering, among other things: through efficiency, new materials, methods, processes - in short, through innovation and the implementation of innovative ideas." Prof. Beckmann also emphasized the principle of the circular economy as a response to the shortage of raw materials and the increasing importance of digitalized processes - "Industry 4.0 was yesterday, AI will influence our world much more." He called for the responsible use of technology and emphasized the pursuit of social interaction and the open exchange of ideas as the most important objectives.

Greetings from the University Executive Board

The Rector of TU Dresden, Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger, also welcomed all the guests present. In her welcoming speech, she congratulated not only the graduates present, but also the more than 600 graduates from the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering over the past year. She emphasized that the education at TU Dresden lays an important foundation for a successful professional future and also referred to the many start-ups/spin-offs at the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering.

Ceremonial speech

Prof. Klaus Mainzer, philosopher and philosopher of science, Emeritus of Excellence at TU Munich, gave a very special speech at the event entitled "Future through sustainable innovation - AI in the competition of systems". Prof. Mainzer explained the emergence of future technologies using the innovation portfolio. Digital or AI technology began in digital computing with the Turing machine and is currently continuing in machine learning and deep learning, e.g. via ChatGPT. The scientist provided a glimpse into the future with neuromorphic computing, where the human brain with its enormous neuronal computing power serves as a model.

Farewell & graduation speech

The graduates of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering then took to the stage, arranged according to the degree programs Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering and Natural Materials Technology, Material Science and Textile and Clothing Technology, and were congratulated by the Dean to applause and background music.

After all the graduates had been "bid farewell", Mandy Schröter addressed the audience. On behalf of the class, she reviewed her studies, which were particularly shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. "I think this time was formative and not exactly easy for all of us," said Schröter, referring to new beginnings in a foreign city, where her fellow students were initially just names in an online lecture. She also reported on the sometimes challenging exam situations, which were mastered thanks to the team spirit in the seminar and study groups, despite the odd repetition: "So a big thank you also goes to my fellow students. Because someone always had a brilliant idea and with swarm intelligence we ultimately solved every problem." Schröter also thanked the lecturers for "doing their best to offer high-quality and interesting courses for us students, despite the difficult conditions during COVID times." At the end of her speech, Schröter encouraged the new graduates for the start of their new chapter in life: "The degree program certainly couldn't prepare us for everything that lies ahead, but looking back on the last few years, I would say 'obstacles are there to be overcome'."

Award for innovation in teaching

The prize for innovation in teaching has been awarded to a lecturer at the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering since 2010. The students of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering have the right to nominate candidates. Prof. Christiane Thomas was honored at this year's Faculty Day. Kiara Schwarz from the Faculty Student Council (FSR) praised Prof. Thomas for her creative teaching and communication at eye level in her speech and ceremoniously presented her with the trophy.

Manfred Hirschvogel Prize

The Manfred Hirschvogel Prize is awarded to the best dissertation in the last calendar year in the field of mechanical engineering. Dr. Gregor Herz received the prize money of 5,000 euros for his work "Techno-economic analysis of hydrogen-based approaches for emission mitigation for the steel industry". Prof. Alexander Michaelis, Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS and Chair of Inorganic Non-Metallic Materials, gave the laudatory speech. Dr. Herz was in Australia for the award ceremony due to his professional activities and expressed his thanks in a video message.

Award of the Friedrich & Elisabeth Boysen Foundation

The Friedrich and Elisabeth Boysen Foundation and TU Dresden award the prize in recognition of particularly outstanding dissertations by young scientists in the field of environmental technology and environmental protection. Dr. Stefan Heidinger received 5,000 euros each for his work "Heat and mass transfer on particles in pulsating flows" and Dr. Milad Eftekhari for his work "The effect of ultrafine particles on the interfacial and hydrodynamic properties of multiphase systems". Prof. Antonio Hurtado, Spokesperson of the Boysen-TU Dresden Graduate School and Chair of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy, and Dr. Anna Martius, Managing Director of the Boysen-TU Dresden Graduate School, presented the award to Dr. Heidinger and Dr. Eftekhari.

Franz Stolze Prize

The Franz Stolze Prize (1,500 euros) for outstanding scientific theses in energy technology was awarded to Lena Sophie Hensch for her thesis on "Creation of a mathematical model to determine nitrous oxide (_N2O) and nitrogen oxide (_NOx) emissions during thermal sewage sludge treatment in fluidized bed furnaces" and Dr Stefan Fogel for his dissertation on "Integrated Electrolysis-Synthesis Systems for Flexible and Decentralized Production of Methanol". The prize is sponsored by Dr. Manfred Freimark and Gudrun Stolze (granddaughter of Dr. Franz Stolze). The laudatory speech was given by Prof. Kerstin Eckert, Chair of Transport Processes at Interfaces at the Institute of Process Engineering and Environmental Technology at TU Dresden.

Dr. Mike Thieme, from the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology, moderated the event and the band "Purple Energy" accompanied the ceremony with music. The evening event included cool drinks, a tasty buffet, a photo wall and lots of great conversations in the beer garden in beautiful weather. The "Day of the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering" was organized together with the association Freunde und Förderer der Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering der TU Dresden e.V..