The Faculty of Natural Sciences sadly announces the passing of Dr. Sabine Struckmeier.
It is with deep grief that we farewell Dr. Sabine Struckmeier, who passed away on 3 January 2025 at the age of 65. We have lost a dear colleague who was committed to her subject areas with outstanding expertise and great enthusiasm.
After studying to specialise in teaching at vocational schools in the subjects of textile and clothing technology and chemistry at Leibniz University Hannover, she worked at the Institute of Textile and Clothing Technology and its Didactics from 1988 to 2009. She then joined the Institute of Science Education in Chemistry Didactics Section and took over the chemistry didactics training for the teaching profession at vocational schools. In 2011, she completed her thesis on textile dyeing from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period (14th-16th centuries).
From 2013, Dr Sabine Struckmeier coordinated the training in the didactics of food science. As in all her previous activities, she was highly committed to this area. In 2019, she became a member of the board of the German Association for Vocational Training in Nutrition and Domestic Science.
Dr Sabine Struckmeier shaped the fields of chemistry, textile and clothing technology and food science in her own way with great dedication and created a very cooperative environment. A wide range of didactic publications in teaching practice journals in collaboration with numerous colleagues are proof. She always focussed on approaching a subject via both the subject and the phenomenon. Research-based learning and experimental work were central to her research and teaching. She recognised the potential of digital tools early on and incorporated them into her research and teaching activities. At the institute she was known for her great commitment to designing degree programmes, courses and examination formats to meet the student's needs. The students thanked her for this with the university award for excellent teaching: Dr Sabine Struckmeier received the 2021 Leibniz University Hannover Teaching Award in the Motivation and Inspiration category. She was nominated anonymously by several students for her innovative, engaging and inspiring teaching. She is also friendly, fair, helpful and always easy to talk to.
This is exactly what describes Dr Sabine Struckmeier, whom we will remember with deep sympathy. We mourn the loss of an extraordinary and humorous person who will leave a lasting gap in our community.
Our sincere condolences are with her family.
