Matthias Sturm, a graduate engineer who studied energy systems engineering at the Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences, has been awarded the 2008 VDMA Prize. The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) honored the diploma thesis of the 26-year-old graduate from Giessen , which dealt with the "Analysis and Simulation of Operating States of a Partial Air Conditioning System Based on Measurement Data".

Matthias Sturm was supervised by Prof. Dr. Alfred Karbach from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Microtechnology, Energy and Thermal Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Giessen . The object of investigation is part of the building of the Interdisciplinary Research Center (IFZ) at Justus Liebig University Giessen . The modern air handling systems there can, for example, lower the temperatures in summer operation by injecting water to such an extent that no further cooling is required in most summer weather conditions. The water is injected into the exhaust air, with the evaporative cooling being transferred to the supply air via a heat recovery system.

The award-winning diploma thesis is the culmination of a series of studies and concludes a longer project. It contains a systematic analysis of the system data from September 2005 to September 2006 and provided important insights into the regulation and control of its operation. For example, it determined that with varying operating modes, the cooling requirements could be almost entirely met by the environmentally friendly water cooling system. This optimization potential was identified using computer simulation. The conceptual proposals for the system's operation were tested on-site and their suitability verified. The jury's commendation emphasizes that "the work exemplifies virtually cost-free ways to increase energy efficiency in highly complex laboratory buildings and thus counteract climate change.".

All German universities are invited to participate in the VDMA's prize competition. This year, the €1,000 award was presented for the tenth time to a diploma thesis supervised by Prof. Karbach. The Giessen -Friedberg University of Applied Sciences thus leads the nationwide ranking of recipient institutions.