At the general meeting of the Rheingau regional branch of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) in Flörsheim on March 10, 2020, graduates of local institutions of higher education in Bingen, Mainz, Rüsselsheim, Wiesbaden and Geisenheim were presented with awards for outstanding academic achievements and theses.
After a congratulatory speech by Gerd Weyrauther, head of the selection committee, the chairman Michael Ludwig presented the certificates and prizes of 500 euros to each of the winners from the individual universities before an audience of members and guests. This year, a prize was awarded to Geisenheim student Natalie Jakoby for her final-year thesis on the "Determination and evaluation of the optimization potential of a bottle-washing system with connected caustic filtration". The thesis was supervised by Professor Mark Strobl from the Department of Beverage Research at Hochschule Geisenheim University, implemented in practice at Gerolsteiner Brunnen bottling facilities and marked with a grade of 1.0. "Our decision was made in favor of Ms. Jakoby because her topic was not only the one that came closest to the engineering profession, but also because it was an outstanding systematic implementation of a key approach to cost-saving and environmental protection," says Gerd Weyrauther, member of the board of the Rheingau regional branch of the VDI.
In addition to final grades, an important criterion to be considered for the prize is social commitment within or outside the university environment. "With their specialized knowledge, future engineers not only play an important role in their companies and projects, but also contribute to society by demonstrating a commitment to society. This is the goal we have set ourselves as VDI engineers: to make the world we live in a little bit better through technology and social responsibility," said the Chair of the Rheingau regional branch of the VDI, Dipl.-Ing. Michael Ludwig.
Hochschule Geisenheim University congratulates Natalie Jakoby on receiving this prize.
