• The prize is awarded jointly by RWTH and the City of Aachen with the support of the VDI.

• As Chief Technology Officer at Airbus, the engineer is particularly committed to climate protection and sustainability.

In the end, Dr. Sabine Klauke unpacked the old Aachen marketing slogan of "bubbling diversity", that's how varied her day had been. After Klauke, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Airbus, had given the keynote speech at the RWTH Graduate Festival at lunchtime, she was awarded the Aachen Engineering Prize 2024 in the evening.

Between the graduation ceremony on the CHIO grounds and the award ceremony in the Coronation Hall of the Town Hall, Sabine Klauke still found time for an extended stroll through the city. For the engineer, this was also a "return to her roots", as she was born in the old imperial city: "The fact that I am now being awarded the Engineering Prize here in Aachen is an incredible honor for me." She was honored with the prize, which is awarded jointly by RWTH and the City of Aachen with the support of the Association of German Engineers (VDI), in particular for her services to sustainability and responsibility. According to a survey, laudator Dorothea Oehm, a long-time companion of Klauke, knew that the engineering profession makes her particularly happy. The reason, it quickly became clear, is that Klauke is able to change and improve things. And that - important! - together with people. In life, not everything can be explained by calculations and equations; rather, change competence means taking people with you and being "convincing as a whole". According to Dorothea Oehm, Sabine Klauke achieves this with an "alert mind and an open heart".

"Taking responsibility, having an impact and helping to shape the fourth revolution in aviation" is how Dr. Klauke describes her own drive. She learned early on how important it is to get people on board, to communicate and to broaden her own perspective. It goes without saying that she firmly believes that the big goals can only be achieved in diverse and interdisciplinary teams. The biggest goal, the so-called fourth revolution in aviation (after flying in general, safe flying and the democratization of flying, i.e. "flying for all"), is to make flying climate-neutral by 2050. "We are developing solutions that will benefit our children," says the CTO of Europe's largest aerospace company. On the way to zero emissions, it is also about renewing fleets, making them lighter and better, and relying on bio-fuels and synthetic fuels.

Dr. Sabine Klauke also used the stage at the Engineering Award to share some very personal insights into her career. She talked about a colleague who asked her to loosen up a bit and not always want to prove herself again and again. "Maybe that's a woman thing," Klauke speculated. Together with the company, she had also considered how she could lead a family-friendly life in her exposed position, because "the family team is the basis for me to be able to do the rest at all."

"This award therefore sends out a message again this evening," said Ina Brandes, Minister for Science and Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia. More women in management positions require role models and Dr. Sabine Klauke is such a role model, said the Minister, who was a guest at the Engineering Award for the third time - "the only event to which I have been invited three times and have also attended three times," she said with a laugh. And three times women were honored, "maybe it's time for a token man," she said with a wink. VDI President Professor Lutz Eckstein added that Dr. Klauke is an inspiring role model for young people. "We all need innovations and clever minds who are committed to sustainability and climate protection," said Aachen's Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen about the award winner. And RWTH Rector Ulrich Rüdiger added: "With this award, we are honoring personalities who stand for something, for courage and for responsibility."

Dr. Sabine Klauke is not only an excellent engineer in the literal sense of the word, she is also a passionate saxophone player. She will have been particularly pleased that the Eternum Saxophone Quartet, consisting of Mari Ángeles del Valle Casado (soprano saxophone), Eva Kotar (alto saxophone), Ajda Antolovič (tenor saxophone) and Filip Orlović (baritone saxophone), provided the musical backdrop. And since science always involves experimentation, Eric Siemes came to the town hall. He used a leaf blower, rubber ball and roasting tube to illustrate in an entertaining and vivid way what air currents, which are so important for aviation, are all about.

The award was presented for the tenth time. The first winner was Professor Berthold Leibinger, partner of TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG, who died in 2018. He was followed by Professor Franz Pischinger, founder of Aachen-based FEV Motorentechnik GmbH, astronaut Thomas Reiter, Professor Manfred Weck, long-time director of the Machine Tool Laboratory WZL at RWTH Aachen University, Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, microbiologist and co-inventor of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene scissors, entrepreneur Hans Peter Stihl, technology pioneer Sebastian Thrun, science journalist Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim and, last year, former BASF CTO Dr. Melanie Maas-Brunner. "It is a huge honor for me to now be part of this illustrious group," said Dr. Sabine Klauke at the end of a long day. A day full of bubbling diversity.