Lehre@Geo presents: Science made by students

At the Lehre@Geo Tagung, our students of the Faculty of Geosciences showcased their results from the studforschung@geo funding programme: Own research projects they developed and executed with the support of our faculty staff – from identifying meteorites to improving the waste management in Tanzania and building an UAV fit for volcanic ash plumes! Two of the many promising projects were awarded prizes, but let’s be clear: every single student brought original ideas, sharp thinking and serious commitment to their research to the table!

We’re especially proud of the two students that our team members Prof. Tobias Hank and Dr. Christoph Heinzeller supervised:

Tim Drießle: “Quantitative Estimation of Livestock Carrying Capacity in Northern Tanzanian Rangelands Using UAV LiDAR and Field Sampling”

His project tackled the issue of rangeland degradation due to unmanaged grazing in Northern Tanzania: By combining UAV-based LiDAR, field trials, and vegetation monitoring, Tim found that more livestock – under high-density grazing, which mimics natural grazing patterns of local wildlife – might improve sustainability, forage quality, and biodiversity. The results of the study are of interest to pastoralists in Sub-Saharan-Africa, where population and stock is growing the pressure on land is increasing.

Mareike Winkler: “Augmenting Waste Management in Northern Tanzanian Villages to Improve Quality of Life and Ecological Responsibility”

Mareike mapped and analysed existing waste infrastructure and traffic routes in the villages of TPC, a large agricultural company in Tanzania, to design a more efficient, accessible and environmentally responsible waste management system. Using GIS-Analyses, she improved the local waste management for example by optimizing the distribution of domestic and green waste collecting points and by computing dust-optimized and fuel-saving traffic flow of truck routes, laying a real foundation for better health and environmental outcomes.

Winners of the Conference Prize:

Moritz Angleitner & Julia Roppelt – for building a custom drone capable of collecting scientific data inside volcanic ash clouds.

Michelle Putri – for investigating the palaeomagnetic history of volcanic rocks in Sulawesi to understand tectonic block rotation since the Late Cretaceous.

What is studforschung@geo?

A funding program that empowers students to conduct their own research from start to finish – formulating questions, gathering data, analysing results, and presenting outcomes. If you have a research idea you are passionate about, check out more detailed information on the program here.