Innovative, motivated and scientifically founded
Students of the TU Hamburg receive Karl H. Ditze Award
21.07.2022
The Karl H. Ditze Foundation has honored students and graduates of the Hamburg University of Technology for their excellent scientific and social achievements. The bachelor thesis of Sebastian Paarmann, the master thesis of Annika Holzschuh and the dissertation of Niklas Kühl have been awarded a total of 4,500 euros. In the category "Innovative Student Projects and Initiatives", the commitment to the Mechanics Repetitorium and the mentoring project "Splus - Students Strengthen Pupils" were honored with a total of 1,500 euros.
As part of his bachelor's thesis, Paarmann developed a program that groups data sets with similar content. In what is known as "clustering," algorithms draw purely on similarities within the data without requiring any prior knowledge of them. The method is behind a wide range of everyday applications, such as personalized newsletters, spam filters or product recommendations from various online providers. With his solution, the TU student also took part in the PACE Challenge, an annual programming competition for innovative practical applications.
With her master's thesis, Annika Holzschuh is making a contribution to the survival and quality of life of people suffering from wounds in their small intestine. Since there is currently a lack of treatment methods, the master's student developed a system for stents that can effectively seal defects in the small intestine. Holzschuh used a parameter study to test various models that had to meet complex requirements in terms of load and design. The focus was also on a biodegradable and biocompatible material.
Dr. Niklas Kühl used a digital, purely computer-based process to calculate highly optimized hull shapes for ships that cause less resistance in currents and can therefore be navigated better. His doctoral thesis was based on real operating conditions of shipping companies. Kühl achieved his results in a significantly shorter time with a lower computational effort and thus also a lower energy requirement of the high-performance computer hardware used.
Two projects were honored in the category "Innovative Student Projects and Initiatives". In the Mechanics I Repetitorium, students help each other to successfully master exams and thus overcome hurdles at the beginning of their studies. Experienced tutors provide tips on how to best prepare for exams, assist with math problems or offer personal advice. Due to the Corona situation, the tutors have taken a completely new approach to group exercises in the summer semester of 2021. The second award went to the "Splus" mentoring project. There, students from the Technical University of Hamburg work to improve the educational and career opportunities of socially disadvantaged children and young people in Harburg. Their goal is to motivate students from the 5th grade onwards in their learning and to promote their potential.
Karl H. Ditze (1906 - 1993) was a personally liable partner of the Hamburg-based rotring-Werke Riepe KG. A successful entrepreneur and Hamburg citizen, he founded the Karl H. Ditze Foundation at the age of 73 to help social and charitable causes. He was particularly passionate about supporting four Hamburg universities, with a special focus on engineering. Thus, in his spirit, scholarships, integration measures for foreign students, events to secure the next generation of engineers, and student projects are supported at the TU Hamburg from funds of the Ditze Foundation.
Further information at www.tuhh.de/tuhh/tu-hamburg/newsroom/weitere-events/ditzepreis.html
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