The prize has been awarded since 1997 by Sparkasse Niederbayern-Mitte, the City of Straubing, and the Straubing-Bogen district. Students whose theses are related to the city or the district are awarded 5,000 euros. Genze’s topic couldn’t be more fitting. His thesis is titled: “Deep Learning-based Weed Detection in Agricultural Images.” In other words, it involves using drones and AI to detect weeds in fields in the Gäuboden region in order to apply pesticides more precisely. This would reduce the amount of pesticides used, saving farmers money and protecting biodiversity.
In order for the artificial intelligence to distinguish between corn and weeds, it must first be taught what the weeds actually look like. The system must be fed sufficient data. In Genze’s case, “sufficient” meant 94,000 images of fields captured using drones. He manually labeled the weeds in the images, distinguishing between 28 species at all stages of growth. The young scientist described his work as a blend of “art and science.”
An Extraordinary Test of Patience
His doctoral advisor and head of the Professorship Bioinformatics at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (HSWT) on the TUM Straubing Campus (TUMCS), Professor Dr. Dominik Grimm, described the manual annotation of 94,000 images as “an extraordinary test of patience.” In his laudatory speech, he emphasized that the young researcher possessed an unbeatable determination to find solutions. He said he was proud of him, not only as a scientist but also as a person. Grimm recalled that Genze had been unsure whether pursuing a doctorate was the right path for him. “Today you can be certain: It was the right decision.”
For more than eight years, the young scientist has been a reliable colleague and creative contributor. His work has facilitated further collaborations and created new positions at the department. Genze, in turn, thanked his doctoral advisor and colleagues for supporting him in finding solutions and helping him out of many a scientific dead end. He sees the award as motivation to continue his research. He hopes to apply his work—which is publicly accessible to other scientists—on a global scale. This should help farmers around the world use pesticides efficiently and protect the environment.
Dr. Martin Kreuzer proudly explained that the Straubinger Hochschulpreis honors individuals who are “drivers of innovation” in their respective fields. And sometimes, great ideas are born not in Silicon Valley, but in a field in the Gäuboden region, Prof. Grimm concluded.