University of Koblenz and Ada Lovelace project award life science research prize for the first time

JProf. Dr Marie-T. Hopp, head of the Bioorganic Chemistry working group at the University of Koblenz, presented Jule Hümmerich with this special prize at the award ceremony at Koblenz University of Applied Sciences.

This will enable Hümmerich to complete a one-week research internship in the field of life sciences and also to attend lectures in the Mathematics / Natural Sciences faculty at the University of Koblenz.

The prize was initiated by Hopp together with the Ada Lovelace Project (ALP) at the University of Koblenz. It was awarded on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the "Jugend forscht" competition.

Hümmerich, a high school graduate from Johannes-Gymnasium Lahnstein, impressed the jury with her project "The breeding bird population in the Koppelstein-Helmestal nature reserve: analysis and development". The 19-year-old has been dedicated to ornithology for some time and in her project systematically analysed the current population of breeding birds in a particular area in comparison to a study carried out in 1992 by Manfred Braun, lecturer at the University of Koblenz, among others.

Hümmerich noted that some species, such as blue tits and great spotted woodpeckers, are more common today, but that other species, such as the nightingale, are hardly to be found. She attributed this to various changes in the nature reserve, such as increasing scrub encroachment. In addition to the life science research prize, Hümmerich also won first place in the biology category and will therefore compete in the state competition at BASF in Ludwigshafen in April.

Hopp is a Jugend forscht alumna herself and has supported the competition for over 10 years as a project supervisor and juror. The ALP has been offering hands-on activities as part of the supporting programme at the local regional competitions for several years. This year, for the first time, the ALP of the University of Koblenz and representatives of the Chemistry division also had a stand on site.