We are extremely proud and congratulate Antonia Siebenbrunner who has been awarded for her Bachelor thesis conducted within the MURmap project with the Science Award for Montanist Women 2024.

Antonia Siebenbrunner, who is pursuing her Master's degree in Environmental and Climate Protection Engineering and working as a student assistant at the Chair of General and Analytical Chemistry at Montanuniversität Leoben, received recognition in the "Bachelor" category. Her outstanding bachelor's thesis, undertaken as part of the FWF-funded MURmap project (www.murmap.at), focused on the geochemical analysis of the Mur/Mura River. Antonia embarked on developing an innovative method for the in-situ measurement of strontium concentrations and isotope ratios in natural waters using DGT (diffusive gradients in thin-films) passive samplers. Her research entailed laboratory validations, employing the samplers in controlled experiments, and exploring time-integrated passive sampling, culminating in the successful deployment of the samplers in the Mur during a week-long field trial in Leoben. Antonia's work is distinguished by her expertise, inventive problem-solving abilities, and a passion to environmental protection. 

The realization of this work would have been impossible without the support of local stakeholders, to whom our sincere thanks are extended:
Arbeiterfischereiverein Leoben, Bezirkshauptmannschaft Leoben,
Stadtgemeinde Leoben, Reinhaltungsverband Leoben

Watch more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPNJtxXWQq0