Schüßler Prize Awarded in Aachen
The Schüßler Prize was awarded for the twenty-third at RWTH. This year the prize was awarded to Annika Emmerichs and Andreas Volz, who are studying industrial and civil engineering at RWTH. The award recipients were selected based on their outstanding academic performance and their civic engagement.
Norbert Schüßler, CEO of Schüßler-Plan, welcomed guests together with Professor Markus Oeser, dean of the RWTH Faculty of Civil Engineering. The academic prize was awarded by Schüßler and Professor Josef Hegger, vice dean of the RWTH Faculty of Civil Engineering. Klaus Franken, managing director of Catella Project Management GmbH, gave the keynote speech, speaking about urban development using Grand Central in Düsseldorf as an example.
Annika Emmerichs won over the jury not just with her academic achievements but her participation in BeBuddy – a program organized by the RWTH International Office with the aim of helping new enrolled international students get acclimated to studies at the University and everyday life in Aachen. The 21-year-old student mentored an Italian student, showing her the city and helping her with finding an apartment. In addition to her involvement as a buddy she is active in the leisure club Münk. The group organizes festivals and events to make village life more attractive. As a judo assistant, Emmerichs also gives classes to children. "Whenever possible, I share my knowledge with others," she says. The industrial engineerg plans to use the Schüßler Prize to study for six months at the National University in Taiwan. There she will further her studies in transport and space planning. She leaves in October and is currently preparing for the local language and culture in an intensive Chinese course.
Andreas Volz was also a clear choice for the jury. The 23-year-old's outstanding academic performance was particularly convincing. In addition to civil engineering he decided to also pursue industrial engineering. He has also completed diverse internships in plant construction. The Schüßler Prize will enable him to spend six months in England beginning in Feburary 2018. He will be conducting intensive research on dynamic loads at the University of Sheffield. However, he will first complete an internship with ThyssenKrupp in Saudi Arabia. He will share his knowledge of civil engineering on a construction site in the middle of a desert.
The Schüßler Prize was awarded for the first time in 1995 by the company's founder, Willi Schüßler. Together with RWTH the company annually awards the prize to the University's best civil and industrial engineers. The 5,000-euro award is promotes students' development and is to be specifically used for study abroad. Recipients are selected by a jury in a multi-step application process.
Source: Press and Public Relations