Faculty Day 2024 - 20 years of the Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering

On 2 December 2024, the traditional Faculty Day of the Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering took place in the Aula of TU Graz. This year, the event had a special focus: the 20th anniversary of the Faculty provided the occasion for an anniversary celebration and invited staff, students, alumni and numerous companions.

Dean Gernot Müller-Putz and Vice-Dean Thomas Pock moderated the event and welcomed guests including Sandra Holasek (Abgeordnete zum Steirischen Landtag), Vice-Rectors Andrea Höglinger, Stefan Vorbach and Michael Monsberger, Senate Chair Anette Mütze, University Council Chair Christa Neuper and alumniTUGraz 1887 Board Chairman Ferdinand Hofer.

Research Talk and look backs

HabilTalks by Maria Eichlseder and Johannes Wallner offered insights into current research topics in the fields of cryptography and computational argumentation. A special highlight was the retrospective of the founder and first Dean of the Faculty, Hermann Maurer. In his presentation, he shed light on the history of computer science at TU Graz until the founding of the independent faculty in 2004. Gernot Müller-Putz and Thomas Pock then led the audience through an interactive review of the last two decades. Milestones and highlights of the faculty were presented on the basis of 20 selected photos, supplemented by contributions from employees. The future was not overlooked either: posters showing the new faculty structure from 2025 invited visitors to explore future developments during the breaks.

Awards for outstanding achievements

A highlight of the day was the Dean's List award ceremony, followed by the Dean's List Scholarship draw. ‘The Dean's List honours outstanding academic achievements and makes them visible,’ explained Vice-Rector Stefan Vorbach before representatives of the top 5% of students in the 2023/24 academic year were honoured. The lucky winner of the €12,000 Dean's List Scholarship is Florian Deutschmann, a student on the Master's degree programme in Software Engineering & Management.

As a counterpart to the Dean's List, the Student's List was then awarded to recognise excellent courses. The student representatives BME honoured Selina Wriessnegger for her course ‘Introduction to Brain-Computer-Interfacing’, while the student representatives ISO and ICE awarded Franz Wotawa for ‘Software Technology’.

Insights from Cutting-Edge Research

The day concluded with an inspiring talk by Herbert Edelsbrunner, a TU Graz alumnus and world-leading scientist in the field of computational topology. Under the title ‘A Life Powered by Technical Mathematics’, Edelsbrunner shared insights into his career and reflected on his time before, during and after his studies at TU Graz.

The Faculty Day 2024 ended with a buffet in the adjoining rooms of the Aula. In a relaxed atmosphere, the guests had the opportunity to share memories, make new contacts and look to the future together.