As is tradition, all new students at Schmalkalden University were welcomed yesterday in the Audimax as part of the formal enrollment ceremony.
For the first time, the welcome address was also delivered in English—at least at the beginning—by University President Prof. Gundolf Baier. He noted that students now come from 88 different countries. He urged them to stay in Thuringia. “You may find your future here,” said Baier. After the brief English address, Baier switched to German. “We have every reason to celebrate today, because a new chapter in your lives is beginning here.” While preparing his speech, Baier thought of autumn and wine and compared the new students to young wine. “We want to turn you into a fine wine,” Baier said metaphorically. Ultimately, however, he added, everyone is responsible for themselves and for what they make of their time in Schmalkalden.
Mayor Thomas Kaminski also wished the students all the best as they embarked on this new chapter in their lives: “We want you to thrive in Schmalkalden and become a fine wine.” He encouraged them to make connections and friends and to take advantage of what the university has to offer.
Leonard Maletzke introduced the Student Council, which currently has 21 student members. He invited the “freshmen” to get involved in student government, noting that this is a great way to meet a wide variety of people at the university. After all, he met his girlfriend from Colombia right here.
Graduate Marco Hennig was the last to address the students briefly: He had studied computer science at the University of Applied Sciences in Schmalkalden 26 years ago. What made Schmalkalden special for him was that you could approach anyone—the family-like atmosphere, so to speak. He, too, urged the young students to take advantage of the university’s offerings and attend lectures regularly. “Go for it and enjoy your studies,” said Hennig.
TEAG Prize and IHK Prize Awarded
Following the speeches, two awards were presented: the TEAG Prize and the IHK Prize. These awards recognize outstanding theses.
Erik Meyer received the TEAG Prize for his master’s thesis titled “Design of a low-noise bandgap reference for a wide temperature and supply voltage range in X-FAB’s XT018 process.” He wrote this thesis in the Department of Electrical Engineering and received a grade of 1.0.
Isabel Winkler was honored with the IHK Award for her master’s thesis on “Developing a Concept for Social Media Data Analysis in Medium-Sized Companies: The Case of BN Automation AG, with a Focus on the Use of Artificial Intelligence.” She developed a comprehensive concept for the systematic analysis of social media data using the medium-sized company BN Automation AG as a case study. In doing so, she followed a Design-Science-Research (DSR) approach. Starting with a structured assessment of the initial situation, she defined the requirements for the social media analysis approach as well as its technical implementation using various tools. Since the company previously lacked a corresponding analysis concept in the area of social media, the thesis represents a significant original contribution. Isabel Winkler wrote her master’s thesis at the Faculty of Computer Science. It was graded a 1.0.
Following the ceremony, 27 clubs from the city and region introduced themselves in the foyer of the lecture hall building and on campus. This gave students the opportunity to network, discover new hobbies, and help shape life in Schmalkalden beyond their studies.
