Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences

Research award of the faculty

The Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences awards annual awards for the best Bachelor's and Master's theses and the best doctoral dissertations.

These are awarded as follows:

  • One prize each for the best Bachelor's thesis in the scientific disciplines and didactics.
  • One prize each for the best Master's thesis in the scientific disciplines and didactics.
  • One prize each for the best doctoral dissertation in the fields of education, people and the environment.

Outstanding Bachelor's and Master's theses are nominated by the supervisors. They specify which of the two categories mentioned above the thesis falls into. A key criterion for the awarding of prizes is the ability of the work to be connected to further research.

For the research awards for the best doctoral dissertations in the fields of education, people and the environment, the department accepts proposals from supervisors or self-applications from doctoral candidates. Proposals and applications must be submitted in writing and include a letter of motivation (max. 300 words) and a short summary with a graphic abstract (max. 1 page in total). It must be stated to which of the three areas mentioned the thesis is to be assigned. In addition to the evaluation of the dissertation (at least very good), criteria such as originality of the topic and research design, relevance of the research question, gain in knowledge and implementation in practice are taken into account.

The awards are usually presented during the faculty festival.

Previous award winners

Best Bachelor's thesis in the didactics category:

Lena Bolz: "Vergleich zweier Lernumgebungen zur Förderung des funktionalen Denkens mit dem Fokus Argumentieren über Kovariation bei leistungsschwachen Lernenden". (Supervision: Dr. Susanne Digel / Henrik Ossadnik)

Best Master's thesis in the didactics category:

Johannes Kempf: "Die Fähigkeit zur mentalen Hemmung fehlerhafter Vorstellungen zur Klima- und Vegetationsgeographie – Entwicklung und Einsatz eines digitalen Messinstruments". (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Dirk Felzmann / Dr. Isabelle Koller)

Best doctoral disssertation in the environmental field:

Dr. Zacharias Steinmetz: "Agricultural plastic covers – source of plastic debris in soil?". (Evaluation: Prof. Dr. Gabriele E. Schaumann (Environmental- and soil chemistry), Prof. Dr. Geert Cornelis (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Prof. Dr. Denise M. Mitrano (ETH Zurich))

Best Bachelor's thesis in the didactics category:

Celine Hell: "Geogames für den geografischen Sachunterricht - eine kriteriengestützte Analyse". (Supervision: Dr. Isabelle Kollar / Prof. Dr. Dirk Felzmann)

Best Bachelor's thesis in the scientifics disciplines category:

Tristan Probst: "Numerische Simulation des Blutflusses in der Karotisarterie mit Comsol Multiphysics". (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Anna Hundertmark / Kevin Richter)

Best Master's thesis in the scientifics disciplines category:

Sven Korz: "Polyphenols control the Nitrogen Dynamics in Fallopia Japonica during Copper Contamination: the Role of Emodin and Resveratrol". (Supervision: Dr. Katherine Munoz / Dr. Melanie Brunn)

Best Master's thesis in the didactics category:

Katrin Vollmar: "Förderung des räumlichen Vorstellungsvermögens mit Hilfe einer Lernumgebung mit Blue-Bots – Eine empirische Untersuchung mit Schülerinnen und Schülern der zweiten Jahrgangsstufe". (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Björn Risch)

Best Master's thesis in the scientifics disciplines category:

Eric Bollinger: "Do antibiotics contribute to greenhouse gas emissions? A case study with benthic bacterial communities and potential changes in their methane and carbon dioxide production". (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Mirco Bundschuh)

Best doctoral dissertation in the education category:

Dr. Alexander Engl: "CHEMIE PUR – Unterrichten in der Natur". (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Björn Risch)

Best doctoral dissertation in the environment category:

Dr. Verena Schreiner: "Occurrence, monitoring and effects of pesticide mixtures in agricultural streams". (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Ralf Schäfer)

Best thesis in the didactics category:

Svenja Hundemer: "Untersuchungen zur Zustandsdichte im k-Raum in ein bis fünf Dimensionen". (Supervision: tba)

Best thesis in the scientifics disciplines category:

Adrian Jie Yeen Foong: "Trends in consumption-based emissions in agricultural food systems". (Supervision: tba)

Best doctoral disssertation in the education field:

Dr. Anna Noll: "Lesebarrieren in einem inklusiven Mathematikunterricht überwinden – Ergebnisse einer qualitativen und einer quantitativen Studie". (Supervision: tba)

Best thesis in the scientifics disciplines category:

Julius Albert: "Combined strategy to remediate a lindane polluted soil with the white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus and biochar“. (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Schaumann/Prof. Dr. Roland Kubiak - RLP Agroscience)

Best doctoral disssertation in the education field:

Dr. Michaela Lichti: "Funktionales Denken fördern – Experimentieren mit gegenständlichen Materialien oder Computer-Simulationen“. (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Roth / Prof. Dr. Bärbel Barzel - Universität Duisburg-Essen)

Best thesis in the didactics category:

Sascha Neff : "Gewässeranalytik für die Sekundarstufe II am Schülerlabor Freilandmobil“. (Supervision: Prof. Dr. Bjrön Risch)

Best thesis in the scientifics disciplines category:

Miriam Schaefer:  "Effect of Mulching Systems on Soil Microbial Community Structure, via PLFA Analysis“. (Supervision: tba)

Best doctoral disssertation in the education field:

Dr. Tobias Rolfes: "Der Einfluss von statischen und dynamischen Repräsentationen auf das funktionale Denken“. (Supervision: tba)