On 2 July 2021, Dr.-Ing. Larissa Born, research associate at the Institute of Textile and Fiber Technologies (ITFT), was awarded the Manfred Hirschvogel Prize 2021. The prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, is awarded annually at all TU9 universities for the best dissertation in the field of mechanical engineering. The award-winning doctoral thesis is entitled “Principles for the layout and design of a hybrid material to be used in exterior, adaptive facade components made of fiber-reinforced plastic”. Dr.-Ing. Marc Hirschvogel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Frank Hirschvogel Foundation, especially highlighted the innovative approach and the scientific depth of the thesis during the award ceremony.
Since her student days, Larissa Born has been interested in fibre composites and their potential for a wide range of innovative applications. As part of her final theses during her studies as well as in her subsequent professional positions, she conducted intensive research on various material- and process-specific issues in context of fibre-reinforced composites. Since the beginning of her work at the ITFT, she has supervised numerous research projects on the development of adaptive fibre-reinforced composite components for shading systems with her textile-technological expertise. Within this research activity, she developed the topic of her dissertation.