Honor I
Bastian Katz, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Munich University of Applied Sciences, has received his university’s Oskar von Miller Prize. The award is officially given for “quality in teaching”, but with Katz you could also say: for “innovation in teaching” or for “imagination in teaching”. In a statement from the university, he describes the starting point for his teaching as follows: “When students have a question, they look for the answer on the Internet. And not just as a text, but also visually accessible and directly applicable.” That’s why he uses the so-called flipped classroom method. “Instead of introducing and developing content in class, I put it online in the form of instructional videos with accompanying texts and practical exercises for preparation,” explains Katz. The students can thus work through the learning content themselves at home and then apply it together in person. This leaves more time in class for feedback and exchange, developing ideas together and immediate help in applying what you have learned.
The professor also relies on teamwork. “Students shouldn’t see exercises as exams,” says Katz, “but as a collective challenge that everyone can grow with.” To increase motivation, he divided last year’s freshmen into Hogwarts houses like Harry Potter. According to Katz, the decision about a charitable donation at the end of the semester beckoned as a house trophy. “And for this year’s second semester, I will have a fan jersey of the winning group printed and wear it to the exam.”
disease I
“Ninja Warrior” participant Jürgen Müller with chief physician Martin Thaler.
(Photo: Helios/oh)
In the RTL game show “Ninja Warrior” candidates compete against each other who have to overcome obstacle courses. The truck driver Jurgen Mueller was the oldest participant in 2019 at the age of 59. Now he has driven from his hometown of Seckenheim, a district of Mannheim, to Munich to have a hip prosthesis fitted at the Helios Clinic in Pasing. According to a press release from the hospital, Müller is very satisfied with the result of the treatment. Just a few days after the operation, the 62-year-old was on his way to a competition – but this time as a spectator.
Honor II
Five Munich lecturers have received the “Award for Good Teaching” 2022. It’s these Irene Holzer (Faculty of History and Art), Hisham Sabbagh (Faculty of Medicine) and Philip Sckopke (Faculty of Psychology and Education) from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University as well as Claudia Eckert (TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology) and Friederike Schmidt-Graf (Faculty of Medicine) from the Technical University. With this award, the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art honors the work of the best teachers at Bavarian universities every year. According to the ministry, it is intended to make it clear that teaching is on an equal footing with research tasks. The winners are proposed by their home university – with the involvement of the students. The prerequisite is “an outstanding teaching performance over a period of at least two academic years at a university in Bavaria”. The award is endowed with 5000 euros each.
disease II
Frederick of Thun.
(Photo: Christian Hartmann/oh/obs)
An art action is aimed at people suffering from shingles. Under the motto “Your shingles experience,” those affected can “share their personal experience with the disease in the form of art with others,” according to the statement from the agency that oversees the art campaign. The jury will then choose a winning exhibit, which will be exhibited in a well-known gallery in Hamburg. “95 percent of the generation 60 plus carry the varicella zoster virus, usually after a chickenpox infection in childhood,” the agency said in a statement. This is “a dormant danger that triggers shingles disease in every third person at least once in their life.” Fever, skin rash and severe nerve pain were among the most common symptoms. Up to 30 percent of those affected would suffer complications. However, public awareness of shingles remains low. “Together with committed partners such as the German Pain League, but also the actor Frederick of Thun The pharmaceutical company GSK would like to change that,” according to the agency. The 81-year-old Friedrich von Thun belongs to the risk group himself due to his age and, after severe shingles diseases in close family circles, knows what possible long-term consequences the infectious disease can have. Art can help better manage those pressures, but the artworks are also expected to “help improve the general understanding of the impact an outbreak can have.”
exotic
Ivana Sanshia Austermayer and Adnan Maral.
(Photo: Marian Mok/oh)
Ivana Sanshia Austermayer is a cook Adnan Maral is an actor (“Turkish for Beginners”, “The Wild Guys”). They now appear together on Bayerisches Fernsehen (BR), every Sunday at 5:15 p.m. Her show is called “Barbecue with Ivana and Adnan”. Of course, when you think of grilling, you think of sausages and steak, potato salad and pasta salad, but Austermayer and Maral also offer exotic dishes in addition to the traditional, BR reveals in a press release. “There are no limits, you can cook anything on the fire,” says Ivana Sanshia Austermayer. The first episode, which aired on May 7, was called “Reh und Honig” and seven more will follow.