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Kevin Fuchs (links) freut sich mit seinen Betreuern Dr. Timo Bernthaler und Dr. Gerhard Schneider über den Südwestmetallpreis für seine hervorragende Bachelor-Arbeit. (Foto: © Hochschule Aalen)

In its 20th year, the Südwestmetall Award was presented for the first time at the traditional end-of-year event of the Südwestmetall district group Ostwürttemberg in Aalen. Kevin Fuchs, a materials and surface engineering student at Aalen University, was honored for his outstanding performance in his bachelor's thesis, which was written in cooperation with the ZEISS company.

For the first time, the award ceremony for the Südwestmetall Award took place as part of the association's end-of-year event rather than during the graduation ceremony at Aalen University of Applied Sciences (HS). This year's prize winner is Kevin Fuchs, a student at HS Aalen, who received the €3,000 prize for his bachelor's thesis at Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH on "Investigation into the stability of titanium materials in atmospheres containing hydrogen". Kevin Fuchs conducted research on the subject of hydrogen embrittlement. In his systematically structured bachelor thesis, he determined complex interactions between titanium and a wide range of aging conditions. Kevin Fuchs' results provided ZEISS SMT with important and fundamental insights for existing and future technologies.

Südwestmetall has been recognizing outstanding scientific achievements with a high practical benefit for regional industry with the awarded prize for 20 years. The quality of the bachelor's thesis convinced the review panel to honor Fuchs' achievement with the 2022 Südwestmetall Award, he said.

Kevin Fuchs first completed an apprenticeship as a materials tester / specializing in metal technology in Essingen before embarking on a bachelor's degree in "Surface Technology / New Materials" at HS Aalen. During his studies, he completed an internship semester at Matworks GmbH in Aalen before writing his bachelor's thesis in collaboration with Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH in Oberkochen. In the summer of 2022, he decided to pursue a master's degree at Aalen University: "Advanced Materials and Manufacturing" - a research master's program in which he will conduct research at the Materials Research Institute at Aalen University (IMFAA) and where he will also write his master's thesis.

"My previous studies have provided me with an excellent basis for broadly applicable knowledge," Kevin Fuchs emphasized during the award ceremony. His supervisors Dr. Christof Metzmacher from Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, as well as Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schneider and Dr. Timo Bernthaler from the management team of IMFAA at HS Aalen congratulated him: "Congratulations and keep up the good work!"