For 20 years the “unifreunde“ (friends of the University of Bremen and the Jacobs University Bremen) have been awarding the “Berninghausen Prize for Outstanding Teaching “ to deserving faculty at the University of Bremen. On Wednesday 25th May, this year’s prizewinners, Dr. Karsten Hölscher, Professor Cordula Nolte and Dr. Anja Lepach received this honor – but that wasn’t all. A monument was dedicated to all the previous and future winners of the Berninghausen Prize: an artistically designed bench made of fair-faced concrete, with plaques bearing the names of all the prize winners from 1992 up to 2011 – with plenty of space to include the names of their future successors over the next 20 years.
The 12-meter-long serpentine-shaped bench is a gift from the Berninghausen family, donators of the prize which bears their name. The bench is located on the campus in front of the main entrance to the MZH building, where it can be used by everyone coming to the University. Gerrit Wolters, a student of the University of the Arts Bremen (HfK), designed the practical piece of art. Also engaged in the project were the HfK, the Bremer Patent- und Vermarktungsagentur InnoWi GmbH, UniTransfer, the materials testing institute in the State of Bremen (a division of the Stiftung Institut für Werkstofftechnik (IWT), and the Bildungszentrum Bau-ABC Rostrup.
The Berninghausen Prize Winners 2011
Dr. Karsten Hölscher received the Berninghausen Prize 2011 for the best teaching module. It comprises a course on practical computing with an integrated internship for around 300 freshmen in the field of mathematics and industrial mathematics, digital media and system engineering. The module is an outstanding example of an excellent teaching approach for first-semester students, and stands out due to the input and creativity of Dr. Hölscher.
Professor Cordula Nolte wins the prize for her teaching project which brings history closer to students by exhibiting relevant artefacts, connecting theory with practical design. Twenty students attended Cordula Nolte’s course on “disability history“, where they were able to contribute their own ideas to an exhibition featuring the design of various items used by physically challenged people. The exhibition will open in spring 2012 in Haus der Wissenschaft.
Dr. Anja Lepach received the highest number of nominations for the students’ prize. According to student evaluations, the Bremen psychologist understands perfectly how to engage her students’ interest in the subject at hand. Dr. Anja Lepach believes that the most important elements of effective learning processes are clarity of information, challenging content, and feedback.
