Prize for the master of the floating cities
Bernard Meyer, the head of the Meyer Shipyard in Papenburg, receives the Werner von Siemens Ring, the highest German technical award
16.12.2008
Der Träger des Werner-von-Siemens-Ringes: der Schiffbauingenieur und Chef der Meyer-Werft in Papenburg, Dipl.-Ing Bernard Meyer.
He is the head of the Meyer Shipyard family business, already in the sixth generation. This fact was always a particular incentive for Bernard Meyer to do a good job, as he likes to point out in interviews. Therefore, shipbuilding engineering was naturally the only course of studies which came into consideration for him. And naturally, even today he holds all essential threads in his own hands - in the enormously extensive logistics, in the social structure in economically difficult times and in questions of technical development. Above all, the latter is not the case in the few comparable shipyards worldwide, which are all in the hands of large concerns. Thus it was possible for the Meyer Shipyard to become the most important enterprise not only in the Emsland, but also in German shipbuilding as a whole. And in spite of increasing competition from Asia and in spite of the imminent economic crisis the family business is in quite good shape, with continuous growth in the past few years. Four to six ships are built annually, among which are not only cruise ships with the dimensions of floating cities, but also special ships such as gas tankers and river-cruise ships. The importance of well-educated and motivated employees Bernard Meyer has recognized long ago and has therefore initiated an extensive education and training programme in his own company.
"We honor Bernard Meyer, because he is an exception among German engineers, has produced ground-breaking technical developments and implemented them entrepreneurially in his modern shipyards in Papenburg", explains Prof. Dr. Ernst O. Göbel, chairman of the foundation board of the Werner von Siemens Ring Foundation and President of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the decision to award the Werner von Siemens Ring to Bernard Meyer. With it he will step up into an illustrious rank of Ring recipients, which includes Carl Bosch, Konrad Zuse and Wernher von Braun (see Annex: Recipients of the Werner von Siemens Ring). The awarding of the Ring will take place on 13 December 2009, the 193rd anniversary of the birthday of Werner von Siemens, within the setting of a commemorative event.
On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Werner von Siemens on 13 December 1916, the "Siemens-Ring-Stiftung" (Siemens Ring Foundation) was founded in Berlin, the main task of which was to award "living persons without consideration of office, position or rank, if he/she has through his/her achievements advanced the technical sciences or as a representative of science, by opening new paths through his/her research in technology". Later it was renamed "Stiftung Werner-von-Siemens-Ring" (Werner von Siemens Ring Foundation).
The "Werner-von-Siemens-Ring - Ehrenring für Verdienste um Naturwissenschaft und Technik" (Werner von Siemens Ring - honorary ring for achievements in the natural sciences and technology) is one of the highest German awards in this field and is awarded to highly achieving natural researchers and technological designers.
The Ring is awarded by a foundation board whose members are in addition to the still-living Ring recipients, the chairmen or representatives of technical-scientific associations as well as the economy, the chairmen of the large scientific organizations, two professors in the natural or engineering sciences as well as one member of the Siemens family. The statutory chairman is the President of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. The patron of the foundation is the German Federal President.
Annex: Recipients of the Werner von Siemens Ring
- 2008: Bernard Meyer
- 2005: Berthold Leibinger
- 2002: Jörg Schlaich
- 1999: Dieter Oesterhelt
- 1996: Carl Adam Petri
- 1993: Eveline Gottzein
- 1990: Artur Fischer
- 1987: Rudolf Schulten
- 1984: Fritz Peter Schäfer
- 1981: Hans Scherenberg
- 1978: Rudolf Hell
- 1975: Wernher von Braun, Walter Bruch
- 1972: Ludwig Bölkow, Karl Winnacker
- 1968: Karl Küpfmüller, Joachim Siegfried Meurer
- 1964: Fritz Leonhardt, Walter Schottky, Konrad Zuse
- 1960: Otto Bayer, Walter Reppe, Karl Ziegler
- 1956: Jonathan Zenneck
- 1952: Hermann Röchling
- 1941: Walther Bauersfeld
- 1937: Fritz Todt
- 1933: Wolfgang Gaede
- 1930: Hugo Junkers
- 1927: Oskar von Miller
- 1924: Carl Bosch
- 1920: Carl Auer von Welsbach
- 1916: Carl von Linde
For further information:
Stiftung Werner-von-Siemens-Ring, c/o DVT
WissenschaftsForum
Markgrafenstr. 37
10117 Berlin
Tel: 030 / 93 62 78 -71
Fax: 030 / 93 62 78 -69
wvsr(at)dvt-net.de
www.siemens-ring.de