This year's prize recipients
The Research Dissemination Prize
The Research Dissemination Prize is presented to an SDU researcher for the lively and creative communication of his/her specialist field to a broad group of recipients.
Jørn Brøndal, Professor, Ph.D. and Head of Centre at the Center for American Studies
Jørn Brøndal is a Professor of American Studies and chair of the Center for American Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. He is an internationally recognised historian who in his research focuses on American politics and on ethnic and racial issues. In 2005, he won the Wisconsin Historical Society Book Award of Merit for his book Ethnic Leadership and Midwestern Politics (2004), and he has published articles in several international journals, including the Journal of American Ethnic History and the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
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The Inspiration Prize
The Inspiration Prize is presented to a group of staff and/or students who have devoted themselves to working with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Sports student Simone Westergaard, engineer Frederikke Dahl and engineer Emilie Søby Eriksen
A group consisting of two Bachelors of Engineering and a student at Sports and Health will receive the Inspiration Prize 2020 for their idea of a sustainable sanitary towel made from plant fibres. The group has founded the startup Mewalii.
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The Innovation Prize
The Innovation Prize is presented to an SDU employee who has taken a completely new and innovative approach to showcasing SDU expertise in the field of education or research, and who has generated value for – and with – society.
Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu, Professor. Ph.D. and Head of Research, Medical Robotics the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute
The Faculty of Engineering has decided to award Professor Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu this year's Innovation Prize for his efforts in developing advanced robot technology for industrial and medical applications. Rajeeth has an innovative mindset and a unique ability to see how his research results can be applied and realised in advanced products. As head of Medical Robotics at the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, Rajeeth has managed to create a close collaboration with a number of medical research groups both internationally, at SDU and at OUH, where he is a bridge-builder between the medical and robotics domains.
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SDU Honorary Alumnus Prize
The SDU Honorary Alumnus Prize is presented to a former student whose life and work specifically underpin the same values as those which form the foundations of SDU.
Journalist Puk Damsgård
Puk Damsgård graduated from the journalism programmes at SDU in 2007, and today she is one of Denmark’s most prominent media personalities.
On an almost daily basis, Puk brings the outside world into the living rooms of the Danes, when as DR’s Middle East correspondent, she delivers so-called standups, reports and documentaries from the hotspots of the world. Her journalistic work is done under extremely difficult conditions, often in countries marred by war and military conflicts. Puk’s work, which is boundary-pushing and boundary-breaking in every way, gives us all a deeper and more nuanced understanding of international relations.
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The Teaching Prize
The Teaching Prize is awarded to a teacher who has distinguished himself/herself through motivating and involved teaching of the highest calibre.
Ole Graumann, Research Associate Professor, PhD, Chief Consultant, Department of Radiology, Odense University Hospital
Chief consultant Ole Graumann teaches radiology in the medical study programme at the University of Southern Denmark. Ole is a professional beacon with an impressive and infectious commitment and enthusiasm in his teaching and guidance of medical students. His ability to communicate his research and difficult academic material is sublime and has earned him academic and human respect from the students for a number of years.
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