Valerius Füner Prize: BITZER and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences honour a graduate

Nuremberg/Karlsruhe, 10.10.2024. Named the best in her year to earn a bachelor’s degree with a focus on refrigeration, air conditioning and environmental technology at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), Svenja Keppler received this year’s Valerius Füner Prize during an award ceremony held at the BITZER trade fair stand at Chillventa in Nuremberg.

Promoting young talents is just as important for HKA as it is for BITZER. For the best bachelor’s degree with a focus on refrigeration, air conditioning and environmental technology, Svenja Keppler accepted this year’s Valerius Füner Prize during the first day of the Chillventa trade fair in Nuremberg. Christiane Schaufler-Münch, Member of the Supervisory Board of BITZER SE and Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION, presented a check for the prize at the BITZER trade fair stand. THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION (TSF) is the main sponsor of the Valerius Füner Prize.

The prize winner, Svenja Keppler, wrote her thesis on the topic of ‘Developing a new method of end-of-line heat pump testing’ and will now delve deeper into refrigeration, air conditioning and environmental technology with her master’s at HKA. In addition, she will be taking part in the ‘International Refrigeration and Compressor Course’ summer school.

On the same day, the Peter Huber Prize was also presented to Benjamin Sowa for extraordinary performance in the HKA mechanical engineering course with a focus on energy efficiency in refrigeration, air conditioning and environmental technology.

Young professionals contribute to decarbonisation

‘Well-trained young people are key to overcoming challenges in the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry and make a positive contribution to decarbonisation and phasing out fossil fuels,’ says Rainer Große-Kracht, Chief Technology Officer of the BITZER Group. ‘Our industry has lots to offer, and young people can play an active role in environmental protection. With its range of courses, HKA plays an important role in promoting young talents, which also benefits BITZER when it comes to acquiring qualified professionals.’

Founded in 2005 by Senator h. c. Peter Schaufler, the late Chief Executive Officer of the BITZER Group, and his wife Christiane Schaufler-Münch, the charitable TSF is the main sponsor of the Valerius Füner Prize and is committed to promoting science, research and teaching in the areas of environmental protection and energy efficiency, with a key focus on refrigeration and air conditioning.

Introduced in 1982, the Valerius Füner Prize goes to the best graduate in mechanical engineering with a focus on refrigeration, air conditioning and environmental technology every year and is presented by the foundation of the same name, which promotes education and training in engineering with a focus on refrigeration and air conditioning, including heat pumps, at HKA. Professor Valerius Füner is considered to be one of the most renowned figures and a pioneer in the field of refrigeration education. His lectures on the topic at HKA, which he held between 1952 and his emeritus in 1980, were groundbreaking.