Achu Yango, a student from Cameroon at the University of Oldenburg, was awarded the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) prize on 5 December 2008. The laudatory speech was given by medical physicist Dr Björn Poppe.
The 27-year-old Yango received the prize, which is endowed with 1,000 euros, for his outstanding academic achievements in the Master's degree programme in Engineering Physics and for his strong social commitment. He has shown great personal commitment in opposing discrimination against foreign citizens by Oldenburg's discotheque operators and won a unique judgement against everyday exclusion and racism in a groundbreaking legal case. Yango, who is involved with the Cameroonian Student Association Oldenburg (CamSAO), actively supports German and international students in his field of study. Further information: www.uni-oldenburg.de/iso/