Graduates Say Farewell in Style
Earlier this month, the RWTH Faculty of Mechanical Engineering celebrated the graduation of its 2013 students in grand style at the Eurogress Aachen Conference Center. The academic achievements of the faculty’s doctoral, M.Sc. and Diplom graduates were honored as students, colleagues, friends and family gathered at the annual event. Furthermore, the Faculty Dean, Professor Robert Schmitt, honored several instructors for their for their exceptional teaching qualities.
Again the graduation gala was hosted by Professor Michael Modigell, who moderated a colorful program including performances by the RWTH Big Band’s jazz quartet and by special guest and ECHO prize winner Roman Lob & Band.
After successfully navigating the “university jungle,” as RWTH Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg put it, and fully equipped with the necessary “tools from the best university,” as Mayor Björn Jansen remarked, the students are now ready to pursue their careers.
The major step of graduation, however, the speakers emphasized, did not mark the end of the students' relations with the university. On the contrary, their education at RWTH is apt to connect all graduates and their instructors: “As ambassadors of the university, you not only extend this network, but you are also a contact person for future generation of students and those taking an interest in our university,” said Dean Robert Schmitt in his graduation address.
Against this background, he advised the graduates to become part of the university’s alumni network and to get in touch with other graduates from their alma mater.
At the graduation gala, for the first time, eight exceptional instructors in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering were awarded with a teaching prize worth 3000 euros. The award winners are:
- Prof. Wolfgang Schröder, Chair of Fluid Mechanics and Institute of Aerodynamics
- Prof. Alexander Mitsos, AVT-SVT Process Systems Engineering,
- Prof. Dirk Müller,Chair of Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate
- Dr. Dieter Veit, Institute of Textile Technology
- Stefan Hengesbach, Dipl.-Ing., Chair of Laser Technology,
- Prof. Hans Josef Allelein, Institute for Reactor Safety and Reactor Technology
- Dr.-Ing. Hans-Jürgen Koß, Institute of Technical Thermodynamics
- Prof. Wolfgang Schulz, Teaching and Research Area Nonlinear Dynamics of Laser Manufacturing Processes
After the ceremony, the graduates, instructors and guests continued the evening in the nearby clubs and danced into the night.