Honors from the town of Senftenberg

Around 200 guests from politics, business, science and culture, from clubs and associations accepted the invitation of the Mayor of the City of Senftenberg Andreas Pfeiffer and the chairperson of the City Council Peter Rössiger to the canteen on the BTU campus in Senftenberg on March 13, 2024. The presentation of awards in the categories of innovation, family friendliness, research and volunteering as well as entries in the city's Golden Book were the highlights of the event, which was accompanied by music from the new Senftenberg stage.

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Peer Schmidt, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) and Head of the Chair of Inorganic Chemistry, was  honored with the City of Senftenberg Award in the Research category.
"He has made the impossible possible and established the new teacher training study programme at Senftenberg speed. With him, the Brandenburg answer to the nationwide teacher shortage comes from Senftenberg," reads the citation from the town hall.

Wolfang Roick, member of the Brandenburg state parliament, held the laudatory speech for Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt. As Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, Prof. Schmidt had not only enriched his subject area, but had also contributed his vision and commitment to the development of new educational concepts as Vice President for Studies and Teaching. In a video message, the laudator highlighted the award of the University Pearl of the Year by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft for the new teaching degree course in primary education, which is particularly practice-oriented. "What we are celebrating today is more than just a success on paper. It is proof that commitment, expertise and a tireless team can lead to extraordinary results."
"Your vision and commitment to innovative research and teaching are evident throughout your work," emphasized laudator Wolfgang Roick and also referred to the research network "PCM-Screening-2: Evaluation of salt systems for use as PCM: thermodynamic modelling and experimental methods" in the German government's 7th Energy Research Programme, for which BTU is the coordinator under the leadership of Prof. Schmidt.

Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt was deputized by Robert Denk, Chancellor of BTU, to accept the award. He thanked him for the award on his behalf and was delighted that the new primary school teaching study programme and its students have been so well received in the city of Senftenberg.

The City of Senftenberg Award in the Innovation category went to Prof. Dr. Dirk Roggenbuck, Manager and founder of GA Generic Assays GmbH and honorary professor at BTU, who teaches in Biotechnology. His company, based in the Innovation Center on Campus Senftenberg, has developed a diagnostic kit for rare autoimmune diseases and exports it worldwide.
Marcel Petermann, Head of the Upper Spreewald-Lausitz Regional Center of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce, gave the laudatory speech.

Prof. Dr. sc. techn. Dr. rer. nat. Roland Sessner, the founding rector of the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences, was honored for his highly committed work with an entry in the Golden Book of the City of Senftenberg.
"Prof. Roland Sessner earned great merits as the founding rector and first rector of the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences in the development of efficient study programs and the creation of excellent study conditions in Senftenberg and Cottbus. The foundations he laid continue to benefit the current Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg to this day," emphasized the city of Senftenberg.

The laudatory speech was held by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Biegel, who was Dean at the FHL and taught and researched in mechanical engineering for many years at the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences and later at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and described Prof. Sessner as one of his role models.

Hinrich Enderlein, then Minister of Science of the State of Brandenburg, appointed the mathematician and university lecturer for the theory of concrete at the Cottbus University of Applied Sciences for Civil Engineering as the founding rector of the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences, which was ceremoniously opened on December 9, 1991, and shortly afterwards also as a professor. At the same time, Prof. Dr. Dr. Roland Sessner was the spokesman for education and science policy for the CDU parliamentary group in the first Brandenburg state parliament and earned merits in the restructuring processes in our state as well as in the realignment of the universities in Brandenburg. In August 1994, he was appointed Rector of the Lausitz University of Applied Sciences. He held this office until August 1998. Since then, he has worked as Professor of Mathematical Simulation and Modeling at the FHL's Faculty of Architecture/ Civil Engineering/ Supply Engineering at the Cottbus-Sachsendorf site.

Professor Sessner was also highly committed to the region, working for the CDU in the district council of Oberspreewald-Lausitz, in the Senftenberg town council and for many years as chairperson of the supervisory board of Stadtwerke Senftenberg and as
1st deputy chairperson of the board of directors of Sparkasse Niederlausitz.
In May 2010, Prof. Sessner was given an honorary colloquium to mark his well-deserved retirement.

On the occasion of his entry in the Golden Book of the City of Senftenberg, Prof. Dr. Dr. Roland Sessner said: "I am very happy that I was able to work in various positions in this city. I wish this town of Senftenberg continued prosperity."