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Honors Awarded During the Department Day
Honours Awarded During the Department Day
Always held on the second Friday in July,
the Department Day at the Department
of Mechanical Engineering is traditionally
the ceremonial event which concludes the
academic year. The most important item
on the program is a ceremony in which
graduates of the previous year are hon-
ored and take their leave in the presence
of family members and numerous guests
of honor from the university and industry.
There are addresses from the Dean,
Dean of Studies and representatives of
both students and staff. The brand new
Master's degree graduates receive the
department's bronze medal of honor; for
doctoral degree holders there is a silver
medal. The Dean and representatives of
the university give accounts on the depart-
ment and TUM. The ceremony is followed
by a sparkling wine reception and then, to
round off the day, the department ball with
a buffet, dance music and entertainment.
Impressions of the Department Day
Mechanical Engineering 2016
This year 300 of the 560 graduates
accepted the invitation to participate in
the Department Day. In his speech Dean
Lüth encouraged the graduates to always
hold onto their dreams and work towards
their goals despite setbacks. He quoted
statements of famous people which had
not come true; for example, Emperor
Wilhelm II who thought: ‘Automobiles
are a passing phenomenon. I believe in
horses.’ After his speech Dean Lüth read
out the names of all the graduates present
and they received their bronze medals of
honor from Prof. Berensmeier and Prof.
Lohmann, who wore cap and gown for the
occasion.
Accompanied by a New Orleans jazz
band, the dignitaries from the department
and TUM entered the lecture hall where
the ceremony for the graduates and
guests of honor soon took place (see
photo). In his address to the graduates
this year Dean Lüth spoke in particular
to those graduates who had decided to
remain in the department to qualify as a
university lecturer; he cited the research
fields of the department's associate pro-
fessors, as well as those who had quali-
fied as lecturers since 2014 and their next
career steps. Of 130 doctoral graduates,
64 were present. Each one was presented,
together with their dissertation, to the
guests and received the department's
silver medal of honor. On Department Day
nine prizes for exceptional achievement
and seven for outstanding dissertations
were awarded. The prize winners are listed
on the following page.