Ana Maria Gonzalez Degetau wins DAAD Prize 2021 at TH Köln
Master's student Ana Maria Gonzalez Degetau wins the DAAD Prize 2021 at TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences for her outstanding academic achievements and social commitment. The Mexican-born student is studying at the Faculty of Process Engineering, Energy and Mechanical Systems at TH Köln.
The German Academic Exchange Service’s (DAAD) award, which is endowed with 1,000 EUR, was now presented to Gonzalez Degetau at a ceremony.
"Ana Maria Gonzalez Degetau is an exceptionally motivated and ambitious student and one of the few to have completed her Bachelor's degree in General Mechanical Engineering in the standard period of study with the grade 'very good'," said Prof. Dr. Martin Bonnet from the Institute of Applied Materials, who nominated Gonzalez Degetau for the award.
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The winner of the DAAD Prize 2021 at TH Köln: Ana Maria Gonzalez Degetau. (Image: Michael Bause/TH Köln)
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Professor Dr Stefan Herzig, president of TH Köln, and Ana Maria Gonzalez Degetau. (Image: Michael Bause/TH Köln)
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Professor Dr Martin Bonnet nominated Gonzalez Degetau for the DAAD Prize 2021 at TH Köln. (Image: Michael Bause/TH Köln)
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After the public awards ceremony, a video interview was filmed with the laureate, Professor Dr Bonnet and Christina Brey, Director of the Department of International Affairs. (Image: Michael Bause/TH Köln)
"Ms. Gonzalez Degetau impresses with her knowledge, skills and commitment to her studies and to society - also in intercultural contexts," Bonnet said. She demonstrates this, among other things, through her voluntary work for the Department of International Affairs at TH Köln. There, she repeatedly supervises groups of international pupils and passes on her personal experience to them. Students and professors also appreciate her commitment as a tutor at both the Institute of Applied Materials and the Institute of Product Development and Engineering Design.
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Project-based work as a major advantage
The 26-year-old already studied engineering at the Universidad de Los Andes in Santiago de Chile and came to Germany in 2016 as part of a language-learning stay. She then began her Bachelor's program in the winter semester 2017/18, which she successfully completed in April 2021. Since the summer semester of 2021, Gonzalez Degetau has been studying for a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on "Smart Systems".
"In the course of my Bachelor's degree and especially during my internship semester, I realized that I find Computer Science very exciting, which is why the Master’s program in 'Smart Systems' with a focus on Control Engineering and Machine Learning was a good decision for me," says Gonzalez Degetau. She is extremely happy with her move to Germany and to TH Köln: "A big advantage of studying at TH Köln is the project-based work, which I really like."
Gonzalez Degetau would like to continue working at the interface between Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science after completing her Master's degree. However, she does not yet know whether she will stay in research or move to industry after graduation. "I can imagine both very well, but I still want to keep all my options open," Gonzalez Degetau says.
February 2022