University Ruperto Carola Opens New Academic Year with its Annual Celebration

Ruperto Carola is about to open the 2024/2025 Academic Year with its annual celebration, held traditionally at the start of the lecture period. Members of the university, along with friends, supporters and alumni, will at the same time mark the 638th anniversary of the founding of Heidelberg University. After an address by the Rector, the event on 19 October 2024 will center on a scientific conversation on the topic of artificial intelligence. In addition, this year’s winners of the Hengstberger Prizes will present their work to the university public. An outstanding figure and committed supporter of the university, Prof. Dr Hanns-Peter Knaebel will be admitted to the circle of honorary senators. The annual celebration will also include an expression of appreciation for the academic support units.

Prof. Dr Frauke Melchior, Rector of Heidelberg University, will open the festive event in the Great Hall of the Old University with welcoming words and remarks. She will not only look back at the prominent events of the past Academic Year but also look to future developments and upcoming challenges. In the following scientific conversation, representatives from various areas of the university will address the question “AI – an opportunity for the university, a risk for society?”. Speakers on the significance of artificial intelligence are Prof. Dr Fred Hamprecht and Prof. Dr Georgia Koppe from the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, the Kanzler of Heidelberg University, Jens Andreas Meinen, as well as Luis Walter, a student member of the university’s AI Board, and Prof. Dr Dr Eva Winkler from the Medical Faculty Heidelberg, who leads the Section for Translational Medical Ethics.

During the annual celebration, the 2024 Klaus-Georg and Sigrid Hengstberger Prize for early-career researchers will also be presented. The three awards are each endowed with 12,500 euros. They go to two prize-winning teams – Dr Christopher Nunn (Faculty of Theology) and Dr Natalie Rauscher (Heidelberg Center for American Studies), and Dr Jelscha Schmid (Department of Philosophy) and Dr Simon Schüz, a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau. The third award honors Dr Dominika Wylezalek from the Institute for Astronomical Computing of Heidelberg University. The prize money will go towards organizing a scientific symposium at the Heidelberg International Academic Forum.

By making Prof. Knaebel an honorary senator, Ruperto Carola is continuing its long-time custom of paying tribute to sustained, extraordinary commitment to the university. During his many years as chair of the University Council, of which he was an external member holding prominent management positions in business from 2012 to 2024, Hanns-Peter Knaebel guided this supervisory, strategic and advisory body of the university with great competence and sound judgement. Coming from Heidelberg Medicine – he obtained his habilitation at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg, served as a senior physician in the Surgical Clinic of Heidelberg University Hospital and has since 2010 been an adjunct professor at Ruperto Carola – Prof. Knaebel has always built bridges between academia and industry. During its annual celebration, the university also focuses on staff from the academic support units – this year it is Katharina Bitter-Brückmann, who as head of training in the Human Resources Division is responsible for trainees and interns.

The musical setting for the event will come from members of the Collegium Musicum – the university orchestra and university choir – conducted by University Music Director Michael Sekulla. Presenter of the annual celebration is journalist Jan-Martin Wiarda. 

Note for newsrooms:
The annual celebration, which is open to the university public, is taking place in the Great Hall of the Old University on 19 October 2024 and begins at 11am.