Louis Waldmeir earns Outstanding Major in German Award

Louis Waldmeir, son of Mary and John Waldmeir, of Dubuque, Iowa, was awarded the Outstanding Major in German Award during Honors Day May 14 at North Central College.

A senior, Louis is majoring in German and his name regularly appears on the College’s Dean’s List for high academic achievement. He is a graduate of Dubuque Senior High School.

Louis presented his academic research in an oral presentation titled “The German Reinheitsgebot: Legalizing Tradition” during the College’s 2013 Rall Symposium for undergraduate research. He also presented research titled “Regional German Beer Culture: Contemporary Concerns in a Changing Tradition” at the 2013 National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

To assist with his research, Louis traveled to various cities in Germany one summer to examine that country’s complex beer culture and received a Richter Independent Study Fellowship from North Central to fund the trip. He also studied abroad in Germany for one term at the Universitat Heidelberg and interned at Brauerei zum Klosterhof, an organic German brewery.

A College Scholar, Louis’ honors thesis, titled “Deutsches Bier: Examining Regional Identity and National Symbolism,” was based on his research and studies in Germany.

He and a faculty member have co-published two essays in the journal “Communications from the International Brecht Society.”