Scholarship Combines Academic Study with Practical Construction Experience
Master’s student Jim Hufnagel is studying civil engineering at the University of Siegen. He is now one of only two students in all of Germany to receive a scholarship for the promotion of young scholars in masonry construction. The goal of the support program is to ensure that students not only learn about masonry construction with sand-lime brick and aerated concrete in theory, but also come to understand it as a practical, high-performance, and sustainable building method. The scholarship is awarded by Zukunft weißes Mauerwerk GmbH.
The civil engineering student from Siegen combines his studies with a part-time job in structural engineering. He completed his training as a concrete and reinforced concrete builder by topping his class. Through his work in construction management and his technical qualifications, he brings a particularly strong connection between theory and practice to the program. “I’m very pleased to receive this grant because it gives me the opportunity to delve even more deeply into the theory of a field in which I’m already very active in practice—both at my job and in my personal life,” says Jim Hufnagel. “For me, it’s especially exciting to combine theoretical knowledge with my practical experience to date and then be able to apply what I’ve learned directly in practice.”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Torsten Leutbecher, university professor of structural engineering at the University of Siegen: “Innovation doesn’t happen in an ivory tower. It arises from the exchange between academia and the professional world. When we support the next generation of academics together with the building materials industry, we’re not just investing in individual students, but in the innovative capacity of the entire construction sector.”
“Masonry construction needs well-trained young people who are technically strong and at the same time understand how planning, materials, and the construction site interact,” says Roland Meißner, Managing Director of Zukunft weißes Mauerwerk GmbH.
The Academic Support Program for Young Talent in Masonry Construction supports universities, faculty, and students with initiatives centered on calcium silicate and aerated concrete masonry. These include, among other things, Masonry Days, guest lectures, digital tools, and teaching materials. The Master’s Support Program complements these activities by providing targeted, individualized support to particularly dedicated students.
