Press release: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) honours Göttingen student

Nr. 262/2010 - 16.12.2010

Maryam Palangari acknowledged for achievements in academia and intercollegiate affairs

(pug) The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has awarded the Göttingen Master's candidate Maryam Palangari this year's prize for outstanding foreign students. With this prize, the DAAD acknowledged the young Iranian woman's achievements in student self-government and the fact that she adjusted to the German system of higher education with extreme alacrity. This DAAD prize is awarded to international students who not only excel scholastically, but who also show a notable commitment to social, intercultural and intercollegiate affairs.

Maryam Palangari is in her third year of the Master's degree programme in "Hydrogeology and Environmental Geosciences" offered by the Faculty of Geosciences and Geography. She earned exceptionally high grades within the degree programme and was ranked fourth in her class this year. Maryam is actively involved in the newly founded student committee for her degree programme and, so far, has taken part in two federal-level departmental student committee meetings. According to the jury, she proved "her commitment in those meetings where she worked constructively to get the growing number of foreign students more involved in student's self-government".

In addition, Maryam Palangari played a major role in organizing and running the orientation phase that is held in the first two weeks of October for students newly enrolled in the degree programme. Prof. Andreas Pack, Maryam's academic advisor, stressed, "Particularly for foreign students, highly proactive counselling is very critical to academic success". "Through her volunteer work, Maryam Palangari has certainly made a meaningful contribution to the integration of foreign students at Göttingen University."

Contact address:
Marie-Hélène Benoist
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Student Affairs – International Student Services
Wilhelmsplatz 4, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Phone (0551) 39-4455, Fax (0551) 39-184455
E-Mail: marie-helene.benoist@zvw.uni-goettingen.de
Website: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/28766.html