Excellent link between teaching and research
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kästner Receives Teaching Award from Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) and the Friends of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences Association (Förderverein der Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz e. V.) are pleased to announce that the 2024 Teaching Award has been presented to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kästner. This award recognizes his extraordinary dedication and outstanding achievements in teaching.
The Teaching Award is presented every three years by the Friends of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and comes with a prize of 2,000 euros. For the first time, only students at the university were allowed to nominate candidates for the Teaching Award.
The group of students who nominated Kästner explained their choice as follows.
He motivates the students through a sophisticated teaching concept with teaching materials that are always coordinated with each other. Thanks to the very good coordination of the teaching materials, the subject matter taught is always comprehensible. Furthermore, he is always ready to listen to questions and answers them with care, respect and calmness.
”A total of 13 nominations were submitted by students. A selection committee chaired by the Vice President for Education and International Affairs, Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil, and including student representatives, then decided who would receive the 2024 Teaching Award based on established selection criteria.
A Compelling Teaching Concept
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kästner, a professor in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, impressed the selection committee with his teaching concept. His classes / courses, including Control Engineering, Safe and Fault-Tolerant Systems, Fundamentals of Soft Computing—Artificial Neural Networks, and Model-Based Measurement and Control Methods, are characterized by an excellent integration of teaching and research. Particular emphasis was placed on the concept of a holistic engineering approach and the continuous refinement of existing classes / courses and course materials.
Beyond his excellent teaching, Kästner is committed to the internationalization of Zittau University of Applied Sciences/Görlitz, contributes English-language content to international master’s degree programs, and, as a visiting lecturer, supports the Sino-German University of Applied Sciences (CDHAW) at the renowned Tongji University in Shanghai, China. His research activities at the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM) focus on nuclear safety research, condition monitoring, soft computing, and modeling/simulation.
A native of Thuringia, he came to Upper Lusatia in 1983 to study at what was then the Zittau University of Technology. In 1996, he earned his doctorate in the field of power plant engineering. In 2008, he was appointed professor at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
Teaching Day
The Teaching Award was presented on May 15 as part of Teaching Day, during which representatives of the university’s Friends Association and the selection committee jointly presented the award.
In his laudatory speech, Rector Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch had words of special praise for the Teaching Award recipient.
The ability to combine teaching and research in a harmonious way is a central aspect of this award. This integration of theory and practice enables students not only to understand theoretical concepts, but also to recognize their applicability in real-life situations. A wise person once told me that young people don't come to us to read to them from thirty-year-old books. We need up-to-date research findings that we can transfer into teaching. Our award winner today has achieved this in an impressive way.
”The regular presentation of the Teaching Award supports Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences in its efforts to continuously improve the quality of teaching and provide students with an excellent education.
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