"Insanely fast on the trail of nature"

"With outstanding achievements that have provided nationally and internationally already a sensation," concluded the student at the Science Center, Daniel Van Opdenbosch, from his dissertation. For his work, "Nanostructured materials by hierarchical biotemplating" got the likeable young father on Thursday evening in the historic town hall of the Science Award, sponsored by the Friends university town of Straubing, and the Rotary Club. Dr. Georg Graf, President of the Rotary Club Straubing, and publisher Dr. Hermann Balle, chairman of the association college town, handed over the prize of 2000 euro award. Prof. Dr. Cordt Zollfrank held an entertaining but also very informative eulogy about his talented protege, who finished with "summa cum laude".

The coveted award was won by the Belgians for his doctoral thesis "Nanostructured materials by hierarchical biotemplating", the Van Opdenbosch has created in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Cordt Zollfrank at the Science Center. Since the beginning of 2014, Dr. Van Opdenbosch is group leader at the center of excellence. In his doctoral work, he has examined how, building on the natural wood structure can be produced artificially functional materials whose structural characteristics are very similar to the wood. The work was rated with the highest degree "summa cum laude" and is considered scientifically particularly valuable of relevance.

Around 100 distinguished guests from politics and business, and of course the Competence Centre for Renewable Resources welcomed Dr. Graf and looked back at the history of the science prize, which was awarded in 2010 for the first time. District Administrator Joseph Laumer, MP Josef Meier cell and the former MP Ernst Hinsken had come with city councilors and Mayor Maria Stelzl in the historic town hall.

Center of Competence, great careers

Mayor Mark Pannermayr put the science prize out to be an award that put young personalities at the center and they accompany the important beginning of a hopefully great career. With these tips you prefer the width to Straubing and the broad-based competence center also enables such excellence, he said. Straubing should not be measured always with other cities. In the depth of research and on issues of the competence center to develop yourself so that other communities can no longer compete with Straubing. As Dr. Hermann Balle, chairman of the association university town of Straubing, he went one further ahead, Straubing as a university city, especially in view of the current students talk of neighboring universities.

"In the Footsteps of Mother Nature" Daniel Van Opdenbosch was on the way, told his doctor father. And the way he was on those tracks "with insanely fast speed". In the approach, but very understandable, explained Prof. Dr. Cordt Zollfrank from the Department of Biogenic polymers at the Science Center's pioneering success of the work. His eulogy he began to articulate in Dutch, before moving to German to enumerate from birth in the U.S., about growing up in Switzerland, studying in Erlangen and in New York the stations of Daniel Van Opdenbosch.

Just "thank you" could say winners Daniel Van Opdenbosch. Above all, his professor, Dr. Zollfrank inches from where the idea comes to his research and the free space and funding allowed him, but stood with critical suggestions to the side. At the high school located in Straubing his research work "with the right approach" and of course the family gave peace and strength. Was made possible even the suspension of the honeymoon to record research readings.

Dr. Hermann Balle thanked all supporters of the university club and Rotarians that made this award and the development of the competence center. He was glad that even long-time supporters of the development still accompany, such as Alt-OB Reinhold Perlak and former mayor George Br�uherr. He stressed that the work of Daniel Van Opdenbosch was extremely goal-oriented and was glad that the young father will continue to use the good research opportunities at the center of expertise and a project group and his habilitation thesis the next five years, research at the Schulgasse. Dr. Balle said: "By deepening their research questions in the lab of Prof. Zollfrank you, Dr. Van Opdenbosch sustainable recognized even more the brilliance of the Science Center in the center of competence for radiation and thus strengthened the international reputation of the Competence Centre accordingly."

With melodies framed by Mozart Gerold Huber (viola), Fred Flassig (cello), Heike Fischer (violin) and Stefan Mutz (Flute) the festive evening