The TUM Department of Sport and Health Sciences has dismissed their 419 graduates and seven doctorates from the year 2015 in a festive venue. On Friday, February 19, 2016, the department celebrated the graduates in the fully-occupied Lecture Hall A of the Rechts der Isar Hospital. Under the approximately 500 guests, the Dean, Prof. Dr. Ansgar Schwirtz, could also greet the founding dean of the department and former vice president of the TU München, Prof. Dr. Arnulf Melzer.
Two Supporters for the Professional Career
For their further professional career, the dean, Prof. Schwirtz, presented the new TUM-alumni with two supporters from the sport year 2016: Australian Open winner Angelique Kerber and the German National Handball Team. In January, Kerber was the first German tennis player in 17 years to win a Grand-Slam Title, while the handball players, at almost the same time, surprisingly became European champions with a team weakened due to replacements and, additionally, the youngest team in the competition.
"You can learn four things from your supporters. First of all: do not lose sight of your goals, be aware of what you want. Secondly: Always continue to fight. Be prepared, even in the event of failures," says Schwirtz. Kerber, for example, had to struggle against match balls in her first-round match, and the handball team lost in their first game against the final opponents, Spain. "Third: Believe in your skills and abilities acquired at the TUM, in your capability to interpret things and to competently deal with these. And, fourth of all, take advantage of your benefits as a team player," advises the dean.
Prizes for Diversity, Final Papers and Teaching
Aside from dismissing the graduates, the presentation of Diversity awards, the Krombholz prize and teaching prizes were further highlights of the evening. The Diversity Prize of the Department was already presented for the second time. A prize was awarded for good final theses related to diversity. This promoted the scientific debate with this issue and stressed the societal relevance of the complex topic. This year, Veronika Rajcsanyi (Advisor: Dr. Daniela Schwarz) and Hanna Scheuermann (Advisor: Dr. Christiane Peters) were honored for their final theses with an endowment of 500 euros.
The Dr. Gertrude Krombholz Prize has been a fixed event for the TUM Department of Sport and Health Sciences since 1998. Hereby, final theses are honored which have combined the theory and practice of different types of sport with one another in an outstanding manner. The jury for the founder, Dr. Krombholz, made up of Prof. Dr. Joachim Hermsdörfer and Prof. Dr. Martin Lames, honored the work of Simon Blaschke (Advisor: Raphael Frank), Nina Rohrbach (Advisor: Prof. Dr. Joachim Hermsdörfer, who, as a member of the jury, withheld his vote for his own candidate) as well as Wolfgang Bals (Advisor: Dr. Torsten Brauner). The benefactor herself presented the endowment of 500 euros each.
The third prize - the Teaching prize from the TUM Department of Sport and Health Sciences - is presented to the teacher for special engagement and exceptional teaching performance in the categories of "seminar" and "lecture". Selection of the winners is based on the results from the teacher evaluation by the students and decided upon by a committee consisting of the student deans, Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer & Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer, three student representatives as well as the representative for quality management, Manuela Scheuner. Awarded for exceptional teaching in 2016 were Thomas Bruner in the category of "lecture" and Heidi Weberruß in the category of "seminar".
The student Caroline Brunner, presented an approximately three-minute acrobatic show with fascinating handstand variations which provided for spectacular moments during the ceremony. Arnold Gomez Sevillano enthralled the audience with his freestyle dance. After the official program, those present took advantage of the offer to conclude the evening discussing with lecturers and the graduates, as well as with their parents and friends.
Prof. Melzer: The department has successfully diversified
The department has grown once again over the past years through new appointments. Appointed during the year 2015 were Prof. Dr. Filip Mess (Sport and Health Didactics), in February of this year, Prof. Dr. David Franklin (Neuromuscular Diagnostics) and Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage (Sport Biology). "Over the last year, the department has been very successful in becoming more diversified and in developing a competent profile in the two focal points of 'Sport' and 'Health'," as the founding dean, Prof. Melzer, has exclaimed.
Contact:
Stefanie Oetterich
Department of Sport and Health sciences
Dean's Office
Uptown Munich, Campus D
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Telephone: 089 289 24618
Email: Stefanie.Oetterich(at)tum.de
Photos: Nicole Grasegger