Five graduates were honored for their master theses and dissertations. Parents, friends, relatives and supervisors filled the hall in festive anticipation. In his welcoming address, Professor Bengt Beutler, chairman of the "unifreunde", struck an appropriate chord when he stated: “Completing an excellent thesis is not a solo act and sometimes takes years of hard work”. The thanks must thus also go to the prizewinners’ relatives. The selection criteria for the prize are very demanding and the proposals are subjected to rigorous examination by an expert commission. The topics are drawn from society, written for society, and the scientific results are then returned to society. “The award is further proof of the excellence of science made-in-Bremen,” said the speaker with conviction.

Science Senator Professor Eva Quante-Brandt emphasized that the theses were works of passion, and went on to say: “We need your competence and capacity for reflexivity. We need you as critical minds. With your findings, you help keep society together”.

Professor Andreas Breiter, who as Vice President Academics moderated the award ceremony, also emphasized the passion shown by the young academics. The laudations delivered by the students’ supervising professors followed in quick succession of five-minutes each.

The prizewinners:

• Dr. Jan Höcker's dissertation in the field of natural and engineering sciences for his thesis: “In situ studies on the growth and structure of rare doxide-based inverse model catalysts”.
• Lars Langhorst with his master's thesis in the field of natural sciences and engineering on the subject: “Simulation and validation of deviations in shape of a flat-milled work piece”.
• Dr. Regina Arant for her dissertation titled: “Who you are depends on where you are: The impact of a high school year abroad on the national and host country identity of German exchange students”.
• Paola Janßen with her Master's thesis in the field of social sciences and humanities on the topic “Bayesian networks in the administration of justice”.
• The special prize sponsored by Bruker Daltonik GmbH for scientific and engineering dissertations was awarded to Philipp Niemann for his work on “Towards Computer-Aided Design of Quantum Logic”.

Dr.-Ing. Regina Arant presented a reviewed of her research findings. The psychologist from the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) accompanied, questioned online and interviewed 846 exchange students over a period of two and a half years. She postulates and has also provided significant evidence that “One’s German identity consolidates during a stay abroad. Young people learn to deal with their German origins. They explore them and consciously bind themselves emotionally. A temporary bi-cultural identity assumed during a student exchange ultimately strengthens their identity with their German nationality.”