20 Years of Optoelectronics

On 14 November 2009, the Institute of Optoelectronics celebrated its 20-year anniversary. All of the Institute‘s to-date 120 employees were invited. 67 of them came to Ulm especially for the anniversary celebration, some with spouses and children.

Following the welcome address by Professor Dr. P. Unger, Professor Dr. F. Scholz gave a witty review of the highlights of the years gone by. The founder of the Institute and current president of the University of Ulm, Professor Dr. K. J. Ebeling, made sure to attend the event as well. His delight in the reunion was written all over his face, as on the faces of the other former employees. Dr. J. Maehnss‘s “Recognize Your Colleague” puzzle inspired people to check out the alumni wall, with more than 300 CVs from the Institute‘s students, technical and scientific assistants and its more than 60 PhD students. The former employees happily accepted the offer to view their old labs. In the cosy environment, they continued chatting late into the night and, of course, discussed upcoming projects.