The DGM is honoring Dr.-Ing. Hanka Becker of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg with the 2025 Georg Sachs Prize.

1) How did you originally come to focus your research on aluminum alloys? Was it your goal from the beginning to draw conclusions about recyclability by studying the accompanying elements, or did this focus develop over time? 

I started working as a research assistant at the Institute of Materials Science at TU Bergakademie Freiberg in 2013. There, I worked with the spark plasma sintering method. Similar to hot pressing, it compacts powders using the flow of electric current through the sample and/or the surrounding tool. One of my goals was to better understand the sintering process. Some phenomena can be more easily studied using model samples made from plates of different metals rather than powdered metals through sintering. After the experiments, we analyze the interaction area between the metals. For these experiments, we used Al and Fe. At the same time, we collaborated with the Foundry Institute under Prof. Gotthard Wolf in the field of hybrid casting of aluminum (Al) alloys on cast iron. This collaboration led to discussions about the challenges of recycling Al alloys, for which Fe is one of the most significant impurity elements. During this period, Prof. Andreas Leineweber submitted a subproject proposal to CRC 920, "Multifunctional Filters for Metal Melt Filtration." This topic combined materials science and foundry technology and was a perfect fit for SFB 920. During the course of the project, the research expanded beyond the original scope. The topic of linking materials science with foundry technology developed straightforwardly and was an excellent fit for CRC 920. As the project progressed, a comprehensive research field emerged that holds great scientific interest and practical potential beyond the scope of the original topic. This topic will continue to contribute significantly to sustainability, resource conservation, and the circular economy.

2) You are involved in teaching and develop your own course formats. What do you enjoy most about teaching students complex materials science topics? 

To me, teaching is sustainable and has a future. At its best, teaching is a win-win situation for students and teachers alike, and it is very meaningful.

Passing on knowledge and skills to prepare students for independent work in their future careers so they can contribute to society is a mission directly linked to my work in research and development. It's great to see students develop personally and enjoy the course, if possible. I want students to perceive the course content as meaningful and be motivated by it. I also want them to experience self-efficacy in their learning process. Therefore, I use transparent methods and involve students in designing the course, linking content and learning objectives to practical relevance.

I am very happy when my teaching inspires interest and enthusiasm, and when some students want to get involved in my research after the course, whether through student projects or as student assistants.

3) You are one of the few women among this year's award recipients. During your research stays in Norway and Denmark, you became acquainted with scientific cultures that are said to have different attitudes toward women's roles. Did you notice any differences, and how do they influence your view of our professional community? 

I am also familiar with this statement about the scientific culture in Scandinavian countries. The technical universities, NTNU in Norway and DTU in Denmark, where I spent time, are not as different as one might think. In 2023, 52% of NTNU's students and 30% of its professors were female. At DTU, the figures for 2024 were approximately 33% female students and 16% female professors. For comparison, in 2023, the figures for engineering sciences in Germany were 32% female students and 16% female professors. The proportion of women in status groups such as Ph.D. candidates and postdocs lies between these figures.

Based on a comparison of personal experiences, particularly in eastern Germany, my subjective perception is that being a woman made no difference in the professional context of research at any of the locations. However, being a mother or father played a role in all locations. The impact of being a parent depends on the support available from family and external childcare providers, which should be optimal. This is particularly true in eastern Germany and the Scandinavian countries. It should also be mentioned that many employment contracts are temporary. Unfortunately, this is no different at any of the locations, creating a great deal of uncertainty and dependency. This situation often places a particular burden on women. Additionally, the attitude of colleagues and superiors significantly impacts how well work and family life can be balanced. On a positive note, I can report that, personally, there have been very few inconsiderate situations. In fact, people are sometimes more astonished or confused when I say that I don't drink coffee or alcohol.

Unfortunately, I know of a few negative examples within our professional community. I hope these examples become rarer and that I can contribute to greater gender, family, and integration normality, both now and in the future.

Sources for the above figures can be found here, here and here.

4) The importance of recycling and sustainable materials will continue to increase in the coming years. Which open questions or challenges in aluminum research would you like to address in the future? 

 Aluminum alloys are a fairly broad field. There are many exciting questions that need to be addressed. I am interested in gaining in-depth, fundamental scientific knowledge and applying it to practical situations to promote the transfer of knowledge from science to practice.

For me, recycling aluminum alloys to increase sustainability is a key area of research. I find it exciting that recycled aluminum alloys are complex due to the large number of elements they contain. Correlating the effects of these elements through chemistry-process-structure-property relationships will be essential. This involves a significant need for research in thermodynamics, kinetics, phases, microstructures, structures, and various mechanical and functional properties. While some alloys can be handled well through process adjustments, others will require entirely new concepts.

My goals are twofold: first, to maintain the quality of alloys made from primary and recycled aluminum, and second, to develop new, more powerful alloys. I am fascinated by adapting alloys for specific technologies to achieve desired properties. In addition to recycling, I am interested in how aluminum alloys interact with other materials in composites to utilize their properties and potential for further applications.

Congratulations again to Dr. Hanka Becker on this special award! We look forward to honoring her and all the award winners at DGM-Tag 2025, where we can get to know them personally.