The German Mineralogical Society awards the Georg Agricola Medal to Professor Ulrich Förstner in recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements in the field of Applied Mineralogy, particularly in the areas of water and soil protection and the remediation of contaminated sediments.
Professor Förstner made pioneering contributions to the application of sediment-petrographic and geochemical methods for the investigation of aquatic systems, their sediments, and their surrounding environments. Through the use of geochemical prospecting techniques based on sediment analyses, sources of pollution could be identified that had previously been difficult or impossible to detect using water-based monitoring alone. His work addressed not only recent contamination but also legacy pollution resulting from decades or even centuries of industrial activity.
Following his appointment to the Hamburg University of Technology (TU Hamburg-Harburg), he established the Department of Environmental Protection Engineering. His research expanded from the analysis, characterization, and assessment of contaminant inventories in aquatic environments to include the complex challenges of environmental remediation and feasibility studies.
Professor Förstner has participated in more than fifty environmental research projects, contributed to approximately 300 scientific publications, and authored or co-authored seven books. His textbook Environmental Protection Engineering, first published in 1990 and appearing in its eighth edition in 2012, extends far beyond the topics of aquatic systems and sediments to address the full spectrum of environmental protection issues.
By awarding the Georg Agricola Medal, the German Mineralogical Society honors Professor Ulrich Förstner as a mineralogist who has successfully applied his expertise in mineralogy and petrography to address major environmental challenges.
Rimini, 14 September 2016
