For the last exactly 30 years, the best students in mechanical engineering specializing in refrigeration, air conditioning, and environmental technology at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences have been awarded with a prize. Since 2001, this prize has been named the Valerius Füner Prize.
The Valerius Füner Foundation promotes the education and further training of engineering students in the field of refrigeration, air conditioning, and environmental technology at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. This year the prize was awarded to Jascha Ruebeling. He completed his bachelor's degree in February 2012 with an excellent overall grade of 1.1. As the main sponsor of the Valerius Füner Foundation, "The Schaufler Foundation" also rewarded Ruebeling's exceptional performance with a check of 1,000 euros, which Rainer Große-Kracht, Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director of BITZER SE, handed over to the award winner. In his address, Rainer Große-Kracht emphasized the importance of promoting young scientists: "Good up-and-coming trainees for refrigeration and air conditioning technology cannot be taken for granted. In this regard, companies are called on to show initiative, and close cooperation with universities is needed. For this reason, we have been supporting the education and training of young people for years now." In addition to its good contacts at Karlsruhe, "The Schaufler Foundation" has also established an endowed chair for refrigeration, cryogenics, and compressor technology at Dresden University of Technology. As a technological leader in the field of compressor construction, BITZER offers students from various universities well-equipped work stations and interesting tasks for internships, study assignments, and theses in Rottenburg, Schkeuditz, and other BITZER locations around the world (e.g. in China or the USA). Between six and ten students from varying disciplines take part in this program each year.