Honorable recognition for Dr Heike Sonnenberg: On September 16, 2023, she received the Dr. Wilhelmy VDI Award at the Congress of Women in Engineering held at the Übersee-Museum in Bremen. The award was conferred upon Ms. Sonnenberg for her dissertation titled "Zum elastisch-plastischen Verformungsverhalten metallischer Mikrokugeln bei Druckbelastung" ("On the elastic-plastic deformation behaviour of metallic microspheres during compression testing") which she conducted during her tenure as a research associate in the Department of Mechanical Properties under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Brigitte Clausen. The VDI (Association of German Engineers) and the Dr. Wilhelmy Foundation collaboratively support young female scientists in engineering. The Dr. Wilhelmy VDI Award recognizes outstanding dissertations that have significant implications for science and the technological landscape in Germany.

In her dissertation, Ms. Sonnenberg developed a micro-pressure testing method to determine elastic-plastic material properties for assessing new alloys and corresponding heat treatment processes. Her primary focus was on the verification and statistical validation of the determined parameters to enhance the reliability of the method. The research was conducted as part of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center SFB 1232 "Coloured States”.

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Picture: phillipeigner.com / VDI