This year's winners of the Bernd Rendel Prize, awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), are recognised for their multifaceted research in the geosciences. Max Frenzel, whose doctoral thesis at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg focuses on ore deposit research, and Andreas H. Schweiger, who is undertaking doctoral research in ecology/biogeography at the University of Bayreuth, were chosen by the jury from 17 submissions. They will each receive 1,500 euros to be used for research purposes. The prizes are funded by proceeds from the Bernd Rendel Foundation, which is managed by the Stifterverband. The award enables recipients to participate in international conferences and meetings. The prize will be presented on 28 September as part of the annual meeting of the German Geological Society (DGGV) in Innsbruck.
The 2016 prizewinners:
Max Frenzel, TU Bergakademie Freiberg
The diversity of Max Frenzel's scientific work particularly impressed the jury. He has already worked and published in biomineralogy, ore deposit research, structural geology and geochemistry. Added to this is his international experience: before commencing his doctoral thesis in ore deposit research in Freiberg, he was awarded first class honours at Cambridge for both his BA degree and his Master of Geological Sciences. His insights and findings in ore deposit research are not only excellent science, but are also socially relevant. The focus of his investigations includes, for example, how different types of resources and geological factors affect global availability and hence the commercial use of certain elements. These include gallium, germanium and indium, which are needed for modern technological applications.
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Hubert Schweiger, University of Bayreuth
Ecosystems and their complex interconnections are the topic of Andreas H. Schweiger's research. He is endeavouring to understand how they react to change in order to gauge the effects of historical and contemporary human activity for the future. Before embarking on his dissertation on the topic of water sources at the University of Bayreuth, he first studied environmental engineering at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, and then completed a Master of Sciences degree in biodiversity and ecology in Bayreuth. The jury singled out both his diploma thesis on the nutritional ecology of the golden eagle in the Werdenfelser Land region of Bavaria and also his master's thesis on plant growth on Mount Kilimanjaro as "excellent". Schweiger also has a long list of publications in respected professional journals and was also recognised for his involvement with the World Congress of the International Biogeography Society in Bayreuth in 2015.
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Further Information
For more information about the Bernd Rendel Prize and this year's winners, please visit: http://www.dfg.de/en/funded_projects/prizewinners/rendel_prize
DFG programme contact: Dr. Ismene Seeberg-Elverfeldt, Geosciences, Tel. +49 228 885-2825, ismene.seeberg-elverfeldt@dfg.de