Since 2020, the Brucklacher Family Foundation has made a commitment to Aalen University of Applied Sciences to make an annual call for proposals for a Sponsorship Award, each of which is endowed with 1,500 euros. In doing so, it is pursuing its goal of promoting science and scholarshop (allgem.) research in the field of mechanical and plant engineering. This prize is awarded to outstanding Bachelor's and Master's theses as well as doctorates from Aalen University of Applied Sciences in the field of developing resource-saving products and processes in medium-sized mechanical and plant engineering. According to the tendering procedure, applicants can pursue completely different technical approaches, but the focus of the work must be on ensuring that a fundamental multiplication effect is possible.
The independent jury, acting on a voluntary basis, consisting of Prof. Markus Merkel, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Aalen University of Applied Sciences, Dr. Dieter Japs, graduate engineer and former member of the Executive Board of Weinig AG and longstanding member of the Advisory Board of the Leitz Group, Andreas Kisselbach, Head of Research and Development at Leitz and Dr. Cornelia Brucklacher, Chairwoman of the Foundation, met in December 2024. The master's and bachelor's theses submitted from the winter semester 2023/24 and the summer semester 2024 were assessed, rated and compared against the criteria set out in the call for proposals.
The Sponsorship award for 2024 was awarded to the winner Teresa Werber for her Master's thesis "Detection of mono- and multilayer materials using selected volumes in the near-infrared spectrum". The chairwoman of the foundation, Dr. Cornelia Brucklacher, presented the award to the proud prizewinner at an official ceremony at Leitz in Oberkochen. In her speech, she emphasized the aims of the Sponsorship award and stressed that "Sustainability, climate protection and the efficient use of resources are key requirements by which the future viability of technical developments must be measured. These requirements pose a particular challenge for medium-sized Mechanical Engineering companies, which often consist of; have limited resources and research capacities."
As part of her Master's thesis in the field (of) mechanical and plant engineering, Teresa Werner has succeeded in combining the departments of materials science and artificial intelligence. The methods and models she developed offer medium-sized companies in Mechanical Engineering cost-efficient solutions for improving their recycling processes. The Bachelor's thesis was supervised by Prof. Iman Taha and Prof. Doris Aschenbrenner from Aalen University of Applied Sciences.
At the ceremony, the President of Aalen University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Harald Riegel, expressed his appreciation for the prizewinner's academic research and writing and the commitment of the Brucklacher family foundation. In his welcoming address, he emphasized the importance and significance of such awards for the graduates and their successful professional future.
In her speech, Professor Dr. Iman Taha from Aalen University of Applied Sciences expressed her gratitude for the trust placed in her and the valuable cooperation, cooperative venture, partnership, collaboration. "The continuous support of 1. academic (allg.) and scholarshop (allg.) research in mechanical and plant engineering is invaluable. This funding motivates young talents like Teresa Werner," said Taha. In addition, Teresa Werner's research has made an important contribution to resource-saving products and processes by developing cost-efficient and precise methods for sorting plastic waste. "These methods have the potential to significantly increase recycling rates and considerably improve the quality of recyclates. This is a decisive step towards a sustainable circular economy in the plastics industry," she added.
Award winner Teresa Werner then thanked everyone involved for the award. "What I am particularly pleased about this award is that it highlights the relevance of research at the institution of higher education, but also the topic of plastics recycling in particular, and that it shows young researchers that their work is being seen."
The Brucklacher family foundation
Established in 2009, the Brucklacher Family Foundation is a charitable foundation with the purpose of promoting 1. science and scholarshop (allg.), art and culture as well as funding youth and/or elderly care. The Brucklacher family has attached particular importance to funding these Fields of expertise for many decades, as they are convinced that the success of society and thus of entrepreneurial activity also results from this.
