An era of commitment: HTWK Leipzig bids farewell to Prof Winfried Pinninghoff

After two decades, Prof Pinninghoff, whose tireless commitment to promoting young talent on behalf of the Karl Kolle Foundation has greatly enriched the Faculty of Engineering and the entire university, is taking his leave.

Every spring, the best Bachelor's and Master's theses at the Faculty of Engineering are honoured during the graduation ceremony. The KARL KOLLE Prize recognises not only the content of the work, but also the student's academic and social commitment. This year, twelve graduates were among the lucky winners. Another special highlight was the prize for a start-up that emerged from two Master's theses in mechanical engineering. The fact that this support has a lasting effect is also demonstrated by the fact that some former prizewinners are now working as doctoral research assistants at the faculty.

However, Prof Pinninghoff's connection with HTWK Leipzig extends far beyond the last 20 years. Even during his professional career at Siemens in Leipzig, he maintained close contact with the university, where he also taught courses. He accompanied the development of the faculty for a long time - even in the phase when the engineering sciences still consisted of two separate faculties, Mechanical Engineering and Energy Technology and Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.

Prof Stephan Schönfelder, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, paid tribute to his work with the words: "By awarding the annual prizes for outstanding theses, you have not only made excellent academic achievements visible, but above all have set an example for the social commitment of our students. You have shown young people that specialised knowledge and social responsibility go hand in hand. Whether you provided unbureaucratic support to students in difficult situations, enabled young talents to gain valuable experience abroad or passed on your knowledge to future generations as an honorary professor - your commitment was always personal and inspiring. Your work will resonate in the faculty and the entire university for a long time to come."

The Faculty of Engineering looks back on this long-standing partnership with great appreciation and wishes Prof Pinninghoff all the best, the best of health and continued enjoyment in all his endeavours.