2018 Schüßler Award Presented
RWTH students Annkathrin Sinning und Hassan Khanafer have received the 2018 Schüßler Award. Both are students of industrial engineering with specialization in construction.
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 award honors excellent academic performance as well as civic engagement and promotes budding civil and industrial engineers with a 5,000 euro scholarship for study abroad.
At the award ceremony at the RWTH Guesthouse, the academic prize was awarded by Norbert Schüßler, managing director of Schüßler-Plan GmbH, and Professor Josef Hegger, vice-dean of the RWTH Faculty of Civil Engineering. NRW state secretary Hendrik Schulte gave the keynote speech, titled “The Engineer and Their Societal Responsibility: Between Ideal and Reality.”
As a member of the “Engineers without Borders” organization, Annkathrin Sinning has developed concepts to secure drinking water supplies as well as hygiene sensitization measures. Moreover, she worked in Ruanda for a 12-month period as a volunteer. Valuing intercultural competence, she now plans to spend a study abroad period at Politecnico di Torino in Italy to develop her language skills and enhance her knowledge of geotechnical engineering.
Hasan Khanafer is active as a tutor at the edX online platform. As part of the Integral2 project, he develops digital leaching and learning scenarios for refugees and offers “study weekends” where students can expand their knowledge of economics and business administration. During his upcoming study abroad experience at Imperial College, London, Hasan aims to learn about new approaches in civil engineering and to improve his English language skills.