At the festive IHK awards ceremony on 29 September 2025 at Topgolf Oberhausen, two MPI CEC talents were honored! Jana Brylak received the title of Mülheim's best apprentice, while Mayte Ristow was among the 104 outstanding graduates of the examination year with the dream grade ‘Very Good’. Both chemical laboratory assistants at the institute thus impressively demonstrate the excellence of our training.

The modern sports location Topgolf provided the perfect setting for this special evening. After the official honors, where Jana was in the spotlight as one of the three best in the city from Mülheim, Essen and Oberhausen, the guests used the ‘bays’ for convivial golf competitions. Our training manager Patricia Malkowski accompanied the award winners and symbolized the close cooperation with the Berufskolleg Stadtmitte, which supported both of them during their school education. As the Chamber of Industry and Commerce emphasized, such successes are only possible thanks to the network of companies, vocational colleges and volunteer examiners.

The awards once again underline the quality of training at the MPI CEC, which has been considered exemplary within the Max Planck Society for years. Jana Brylak and Mayte Ristow exemplify how practical relevance and individual support work: both impressed with their passion for chemical processes, diligence and the typical MPI CEC spirit of discovery. ‘This double award shows that our concepts have a lasting effect,’ says Malkowski.

We warmly congratulate Jana and Mayte on their outstanding achievements! Both prove that the future of energy research lies in motivated young talents – and the MPI CEC offers them the ideal starting point.