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Prize winners honored: New talents in geology and paleontology!
On July 14, 2025, outstanding work in the field of geosciences at the University of Münster was awarded the Heitfeld Prize.
Prize winners honored: New talents in geology and paleontology!
On July 14, 2025, a festive ceremony took place in the Institute of Geology and Paleontology at the University of Münster. The focus of the event was the awarding of the “Hildegard and Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld Foundation” prize. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding scientific work in the fields of geology, paleontology and mineralogy.
Prize winners were Linus Schlottbohm, Hannah Morck, Dr. Paul Pangritz and Dr. Nina Wichern. Dr. Paul Pangritz and Dr. Nina Wichern was awarded 3,000 euros each for her dissertations, while Linus Schlottbohm and Hannah Morck each received 1,000 euros for their master's theses. The awards were presented by Prof. Dr. Edzer Pebesma, the dean of the Department of Geosciences, who praised the outstanding achievements of the award winners.
The commitment of the Heitfeld Foundation
The “Hildegard and Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld Foundation” was founded in 2000 by Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld was founded and has set itself the goal of promoting young scientists in the geosciences course at the University of Münster. Every year, the foundation awards prizes to honor particularly talented students and doctoral candidates.
In addition to this year's award ceremony, it was announced that on June 25, 2024, Felix Saupe received an award of 2,500 euros for his dissertation. This dissertation deals with the Kellwasser crisis, one of the most devastating mass extinctions in Earth's history, which occurred approximately 372 million years ago. The Kellwasser crisis is known for its massive impact on marine communities, including the conodont fauna, which is of great importance for biostratigraphy.
Research in the field of paleontology
Felix Saupe's work on the biostratigraphy of Upper Frasnian conodonts represents an important contribution to understanding the evolutionary trends during the Kellwasser crisis. This crisis is one of the five major mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic and has had a lasting impact on the development of habitats.
Support for young scientists is also encouraged through other initiatives. For example, the Friends of the Bavarian State Collection for Paleontology and Geology Munich e.V. support the Germany Scholarship at the LMU Munich. This aims to support students in the fields of paleontology and geobiology who distinguish themselves through special achievements or social commitment. Scholarships are awarded to students in the master's program in paleobiology and geobiology to enable promising talents to pursue an excellent education and career.
The ongoing support from foundations and scientific networks emphasizes the importance of geosciences and the need to promote young talent in this field. This year's award winners are symbolic of this successful development and will contribute to further research and education in the geosciences community.