Professor Hans-Rudolf “Rudy” Wenk

I first discovered the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 1978 when I met Hartmut Kern, Professor of Mineralogy at Christian-Albrechts University, Kiel, at a conference in Aachen. Upon his suggestion, I applied for and received a Humboldt Fellowship, starting collaborations with him on rock deformation and anisotropy in the Earth that have continued since. During my time in Germany, I met a number of scientists with whom I worked closely, among them Heiner Mecking and Fred Kocks, another Humboldt Fellow from Los Alamos. These interactions had a great impact on my career, as they led to the development of new experimental techniques and sophisticated methods of modeling and applying results to metals as well as the deep Earth. Fred Kocks and I also co-authored a book, Texture and Anisotropy, in 2000 that remains a seminal work in the field. The Humboldt Research Fellowship provided the opportunity for international and interdisciplinary collaborations—vital to advancing science—and I am grateful to have had this opportunity in Kiel, later in Hamburg, and again in Bayreuth. Fellow alumni who visit my office no doubt recognize the green pocket calendar on my desk sent by the Foundation every year.