Two computer science Master's students from the HSZG were honored for their outstanding achievements and commitment at the Lausitz Lignite Award 2025. The university was prominently represented at the award ceremony in Cottbus - including in the presence of Minister of State Elisabeth Kaiser.
Lausitz is a region in transition - and this transition needs people who are actively involved in shaping it. With the newly created Lausitz Lignite Award, the Lusatian Lignite Foundation is recognizing projects and initiatives for the first time this year that are doing just that: creating prospects, strengthening the community and showing that the future is possible in Lausitz - and will remain so.
The award ceremony took place on October 24, 2025 in the Barbara Hall of LEAG in Cottbus. A total of seven sponsorship prizes with a total value of almost 22,000 euros were awarded to projects that promote education, commitment and quality of life in the region, and seven scholarship holders were honored.
Elisabeth Kaiser, Minister of State and Federal Government Officer for Eastern Germany at the Federal Ministry of Finance, also attended the event and acknowledged the importance of actively promoting young talent for structural change in Lausitz.
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was represented at this special event as an important partner and shaper of regional development. Deputy Professor Daniel Fiß took part in the ceremony on behalf of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science': "It fills me with pride to represent our faculty and our university at an event that shows how much innovative strength, commitment and optimism for the future there is in Lausitz. We see ourselves as an active part of this change - in research, teaching and education."
Particularly pleasing: two students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science' were awarded a sponsorship prize - for their outstanding performance as students and their exceptional social commitment.
Jonathan Zopf - computer science master's student
Entrepreneurially committed and already the developer of a successful financial simulation at the age of 18, Jonathan impressed with his initiative and innovative strength. His Bachelor thesis is entitled "Empirical comparison of the user-friendliness of two employee management systems" and was supervised by Prof. Dr. Matthias Längrich.
Jenny Zeuler - computer science master's student
In addition to her studies, she is researching quantum computing at the Fraunhofer Institute in Görlitz and is actively involved in the scientific development of this key technology.
Both examples impressively demonstrate how our students not only excel academically, but also take on responsibility and actively shape structural change.
The award ceremony was accompanied by musical performances and insights into other projects of the foundation - including scholarship programs for young Lausitz residents and the early education STEM project "Wikilino", which supports 15 daycare centers in the region.
The event made it clear that Lausitz not only has a strong past, but also a vibrant future - supported by young people who want to make a difference with their ideas, knowledge and drive.
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is proud to be part of this network and to be actively shaping change through education, research and innovation.
