Geotechnik Büdinger Fein Welling GmbH supports the promotion of excellent science
14.12.2009
Geotechnik Büdinger Fein Welling GmbH in Mainz has donated EUR 10,000 to Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) for the new Excellence Center for Life Sciences, the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), and other projects as part of leading research. "A multitude of challenges in connection with the compatibility of family and studies or work have to be handled to facilitate international standards for excellent research at a university," said Professor Georg Krausch, President of Mainz University. "This is gaining importance in the competition for the best brains, which is often mentioned these days, and helps to attract excellent young scientists from foreign countries who want to do research work in Mainz. We are delighted with the very generous donation of Geotechnik Büdinger Fein Welling GmbH, which is to be used for a multifunctional parent-child room in a central location on the campus. It is to provide particularly attractive work options for students and parents working in research or research-supporting areas." Scientists can use the parent-child room to work and look after their children at the same time when they encounter childcare problems in exceptional situations.
Geotechnik Büdinger Fein Welling GmbH is an engineering company in Mainz, consisting of engineering geologists, hydrologists, and consulting engineers. The partners and founders, Harald Büdinger, Wolfgang Fein, and Michael Welling, used the 25th anniversary of their company to donate EUR 10,000 to JGU. The three managing directors were all students at Mainz University in the early 1980s and still feel closely attached to their alma mater. They maintain regular contact with the students of geosciences who are interested in applied geology, engineering geology, and environmental geology by offering them internships and student jobs at their engineering office. "Our donation was inspired by the exemplary commitment of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation in connection with the foundation of an Excellence Center for Life Sciences on the campus of Mainz University," said Harald Büdinger, one of the managing directors. "We want to support this move with our donation in order to strengthen and further develop top-level research in Mainz and our region. It will be very satisfactory when the parent-child room makes it possible for even more young scientists to do research on the Gutenberg campus."
Mainz University has taken on the challenge of combining family, studies, science, and work as part of its research excellence project. In recent years, childcare facilities and flexible care services such as the family cot network, children's retreats and emergency care as well as a family-friendly infrastructure and public image were created with the comprehensive provision of diaper changing facilities and consulting facilities. The multifunctional parent-child room is in a centrally located on the campus, and creates a place where working and studying parents can retreat with their children. This provides a flexible recreation and retreat facility, particularly when normal childcare facilities are cancelled at short notice. "Besides child-friendly equipment such as diaper changing facilities, child beds, and toys, the parent-child room is also provided with work stations, so that childcare and the work to be done can be combined," said Silke Paul, JGU's Gender Equality Representative. "Interconnection between studying and working parents as a result of meeting in the parent-child room on the campus is a further positive side effect. They can socialize to help each other with childcare in problem situations."