"Through her deep-rooted conceptual understanding of engineering, she is able to combine the complex and intricate issues from physics, electronics, high-frequency technology and computer science, as well as medical aspects, into new and applicable concepts." This assessment of student Chaimaa Chemlali comes from Prof. Dr. Boris Keil of the Institute for Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS) at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen .
He recommended her for an award presented annually at THM . The professor's suggestion was accepted. Chaimaa Chemlali, currently completing her Master's degree in Medical Physics, was honored by the university with the 2020 DAAD Prize during a virtual ceremony. Along with the certificate, she received a cash prize of 1000 euros.
“I am very pleased to receive the DAAD Prize. The fact that the good academic achievements and social commitment of international students are recognized and praised through awards is very touching,” the 24-year-old Moroccan woman replied when asked what this award meant to her. She added that the prize motivates her to continue on the path she has embarked upon at THM .
She combines her high level of professional expertise with a strong commitment to helping others. This is confirmed not only by Prof. Keil, whose research group in magnetic resonance physics at IMPS she belongs to, but also by the International Office at THM, where she participates in the "Buddy Programme," where the young woman receives considerable recognition.
She says she feels "at home" and "very well looked after" in Giessen and on campus. Her strong academic interest, initiative, and drive to achieve self-set goals are evident in her decision to come to THM in Central Hesse from the small town of Zaio in the Moroccan province of Nador, where she completed A-levels in 2013. After two semesters of mathematics and computer science in her home country, she felt she was missing "a real passion" and decided to "study biomedical engineering in Germany." Since her A-levels were not recognized in Germany, she obtained her university entrance qualification at the Studienkolleg in Frankfurt in 2016 and took advantage of the proximity to schedule an appointment with THM 's central students advisory service in Giessen . What she learned there about the Biomedical Engineering programme and saw during her campus visit convinced her to make Giessen her home.
In the winter semester of 2019, she completed her bachelor's degree with a grade of 1.6. Looking back, she summarizes: "The research institutes at THM are a great asset for students. At IMPS, I was able to do scientific work and also earn money, which I think is fantastic." Her decision to further her qualifications with a master's degree in medical physics is also explained by her next goal: she wants to pursue a doctorate in the field of medical imaging.
Despite her focused and high-level studies, Chaimaa Chemlali isn't only active in her own pursuits. Thanks to the International Office at THM she has gained a large circle of friends at the university, she reports, and speaks of the need to "give something back" for the support she has received. She does this as a mentor ("buddy") for newly arrived international students. In addition, she also dedicates time to tutoring children from immigrant families.