Michael Hupfer and Gesine Grande at the award ceremony for the honorary professorship. | Photo: private
Professor Michael Schmidt, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences of the BTU in Cottbus, acknowledged the scientific achievements and broad experience of Michael Hupfer in the field of water research especially in the transfer of basic knowledge into the practice of water protection. This honorary professorship is intended to strengthen teaching and research on aquatic ecosystems at the BTU, he said. Michael Hupfer's expertise perfectly complements the profile line Global Change and Transformation Processes at BTU.
Issues of water protection are becoming increasingly urgent under the conditions of climate change and changing land use and are thus of high social and practical relevance. In his presentation "Waters in Transition: How is Global Warming Changing the State of our Lakes?", Michael Hupfer made it clear that forecasting and developing adaptation strategies are a major challenge, especially for water bodies in our region, and require close cooperation between different disciplines. Michael Hupfer commented: "I would like to help ensure that the graduates of BTU Cottbus are able to meet these future challenges through sound knowledge in both engineering and water ecology".
The award of the honorary professorship to Michael Hupfer will expand the IGB's networking with universities in Berlin and Brandenburg. There have been close cooperative relationships for many years with the former Chair of Water Protection (now the Department of Water Ecology) as well as other departments of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences at the BTU. This is evidenced by projects investigating nutrient cycles in the River Spree, the management of acidic open-cast lakes, the genesis of initial ecosystems, nutrient fluxes from the terrestrial environment, and the long-term behavior of lakes. Michael Hupfer is looking forward to the new tasks and states: "With my appointment as honorary professor, the BTU and the IGB are not only connected hydrologically by the River Spree and by common scientific topics, but from now on also by joint efforts in the education of young academics".
About the person
Since his studies of Technical Hydrobiology/Limnology in Rostock and Dresden, applied issues have been the focus of Michael Hupfer's education and research activities. In particular, he researches the lake internal phosphorus cyclingand corresponding management measures to reduce eutrophication. In 2005, he received the Science Award of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities for his scientific contributions and his manifold efforts to transfer basic knowledge into practice. As an executive member of the presidium of the German Society for Limnology (DGL), he sees this organization as a good platform for the exchange of science and practice. Michael Hupfer is editor of the continuation work "Handbuch für Angewandte Limnologie" and Editor in Chief of the journal "Limnologica".
Read the press release of the BTU Cottbus >
