Luzia Keupp Received the Rector Max Meyer Prize

Dr Luzia Keupp from the Institute of Geography and Geology at the University of Würzburg has submitted an outstanding dissertation. She was awarded the Rector Max Meyer Prize on 21 November 2025 at a ceremony in the Würzburg Schelling Forum.

The scientist received the prize money of 2,500 euros for her dissertation on the high-resolution assessment of future climate risks for agriculture and forestry in Lower Franconia. The award-winning work was supervised by Professor Heiko Paeth.

"The work speaks for the general solidarity of the University of Würzburg with its region, addresses numerous topics that are important between Aschaffenburg and Bamberg, between the Rhön and the Frankenhöhe, but are also highly relevant beyond this area," says a press release from the Würzburg student corps, which awarded the prize for the seventh time this year.

Speeches

The ceremony was opened by JMU President Paul Pauli. He praised the scientific excellence and social relevance of the award-winning dissertation. The results are impressive and clear: Lower Franconia is facing major climatic changes.

Dr Andrea Behr, Member of the Bavarian State Parliament and "Hohe Dame" of the Academic Ladies' Fraternity Salia Würzburg, gave the keynote speech on the topic of "Climate protection is a design project". She emphasised that Lower Franconia is characterised by identity and quality of life. And without water, there would be no wine, no agriculture and no forest in Lower Franconia. The task of saving water could not be solved with bans alone, but had to be approached sensibly.

The prize was donated by the AHSC Würzburg, the local association of old men's student corps living in Würzburg, and the six active corps based in Würzburg (Bavaria, Franconia, Makaria-Guestphalia, Moenania, Nassovia and Rhenania) as well as individual donations from individual corps students. The aim of the prize is to make a contribution to the preservation of the basis of human life by promoting scientific research into the topic of "water".

Namesake of the Prize

The prize is named after Max Meyer, a professor of medicine of Jewish origin (Corps Suevia-Straßburg zu Marburg, Corps Bavaria Würzburg), who returned to Würzburg from exile immediately after the end of the Second World War and rendered great services in the late 1940s and early 1950s to the rebuilding of the city and university and the revival of the student corps.

From 1951 to 1953, Max Meyer was Rector of the University of Würzburg, then Vice-Rector. He died in 1954 as the result of a road accident and was buried with great sympathy from the people of Würzburg and the student body.

About Corps

Corps are a special form of student fraternity in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and Belgium, as well as in the Baltic States, which is over 200 years old and therefore older than all other forms of student fraternity. Students come together in corps to organise their studies together, to celebrate together and to build a network of lifelong friendships. More information at www.die-corps.de