PHinisheD

One of the graduate students Udo defended his PhD today. I was expecting the candidate and the examiners dressed up in their academic regalia. After all, one formally addresses professors as 'Herr Prof. Dr.', or 'Herr Prof. Dr. Dr.' for those with an honorary degree or multiple doctorates. And the university here is the oldest technical university in Germany (and where Heinrich Hertz discovered the electromagnetic waves, Fritz Haber 'made' ammonia, and Edward Teller was an engineering student). But no, unlike Oxbridge, there was no regalia.

After Udo successfully defended his thesis, there was a celebration in an adjacent seminar room. Electric stoves were set up, sausages were grilled, champagne was uncorked, Udo's home brew was served and laughters were plenty.

As you can see here, Udo's advisor Johannes bestowed a mortarboard (branded Rathaus Pils, complete with a beam tube with flashing LEDs) on him.