Amidst glorious evening sunshine, exciting laboratory insights and wailing sirens, the handover from long-standing spokesperson Prof. Dr. Martin Moneke to his successor Prof. Dr. Albrecht Gilka-Bötzow was celebrated at the fz mpt on Monday evening. Members of the research centre, the management committee and newly appointed professors from various departments were invited – represented by the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Plastics Technology, Chemistry and Biotechnology, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Architecture.
A review of seven years of development work
Since its foundation on 10 February 2017 – supported by the Research Structure Fund (FSF) and financed by the Innovation and Structural Development Budget of the State of Hesse (Target Agreement 2016–2020) – the fz mpt has become an integral part of the university. The fz mpt is now a central scientific organisational unit of the h_da – not least thanks to the great commitment of Prof. Dr. Martin Moneke. At a small reception in the technical centre on Monday evening, Moneke personally welcomed the guests and looked back on seven eventful years in the development of the fz mpt in a short speech. He expressed his gratitude for the trusting cooperation within the research centre and emphasised the special role of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exchange.
New spokesperson with a clear vision
His successor, Prof. Dr. Albrecht Gilka-Bötzow, now has big shoes to fill – and is doing so with a clear course of action. In his speech, the civil engineer from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering made it clear where he would like to place the focus: ‘The strength of the research centre clearly lies in its transdisciplinarity. I would like to make this special feature even more visible.’
Hands-on research
Immediately afterwards, the focus shifted to research: the centre invited guests to take a tour of the materials science laboratory and the plastics technology technical centre. The tour began in the materials science laboratory for plastics and offered exciting insights into testing procedures and material analyses. Stops such as the climate chamber and the presentation of the ARAMIS system – an optical measuring system purchased with funds from the research centre – provided interesting insights into current research and technology. Numerous interfaces with other departments led to interested questions and lively discussions.
A bread roll causes excitement
Shortly afterwards, the tour had to be interrupted prematurely when sirens suddenly sounded and the building was evacuated. Fortunately, it quickly became clear that there was no emergency – a minor oversight in the staff kitchen had triggered the fire alarm. The palpable relief quickly turned into a new opportunity: without further ado, the event moved outdoors. Under blue skies and in a relaxed atmosphere, the discussions continued on the lawn in front of the technical centre.
Outlook for the future
At Antipasti, everything revolved around the future of the research centre. The relaxed atmosphere provided the perfect setting for developing ideas on how to raise the profile of fz mpt and organise new event formats. In particular, the close links with industry and practical research – typical strengths of a university of applied sciences – are to be emphasised even more strongly in future, not least in order to involve students more closely.
The evening ended with many new ideas, valuable discussions and a memorable tour of the laboratory – a successful start to the next phase of the Materials and Process Technology Research Centre.
- Translated using DeepL -
