2017年CRI A German Professor in Qingdao

 

80-year old German professor Folker Helfrid Wittmann is a world famous expert on building materials.

After retirement¹, he decided² to teach at the Qingdao University of Technology in China, turning down offers from renowned³ American colleges and universities.

He travels between the Chinese city and Switzerland three to four times a year. He is also the first international academic to live and work in this eastern Chinese city.

Let's follow our reporter Xu Fei to find out more.

Before he came to China, Folker Helfrid Wittmann was a Professor specializing in building materials at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. He also taught at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In 1991, he became a foreign academic at the Russian National Academy of Engineering.

In 2002, this world famous expert on concrete began teaching in Qingdao, one year after he gave a lecture in Beijing.

German Professor Folker Helfrid Wittmann[Photo:dzwww.com]

The German professor recalls:

"The principal of Qingdao University of Technology came to me after that lecture and asked me if I'm interested in joining his university and giving several lectures. I agreed."

After several lectures, Wittmann developed a strong interest in both the university and the city. He was officially hired by Qingdao University of Technology in 2002.

He is a renowned expert in the field of building materials, but he still remains⁴ humble⁵; an attribute that impresses his students.

Wu Ruixue is one of his students.

"He has been my teacher since 2011. Each time we meet, he will politely invite me to enter the room first."

During his 11 years of teaching life in Qingdao, Wittmann has taught a total of 49 doctorate⁶ students and other postgraduates⁷. His time there has earned him an unusual nickname as Bi Zhonghua explains:

"We nicknamed him Ultraman, a man endowed with super power."

In his spare time, he likes to play piano in front of his students.

"I could only play the beginning, for the whole melody is too long."

In this German professor's eyes, music has no borders and can help improve affection and respect between countries.

"When I was a student, my teacher was often playing piano for us. I, along with some other students, played flute⁹ to accompany my teacher's piano music."

Entering this German professor's office at the Qingdao University of Technology, your attention is immediately drawn¹⁰ to the Chinese painting and calligraphy¹¹ on the wall.

"I once taught a student in his postgraduate⁸ studies. Upon his graduation, he gave me an oil painting as a gift to express his gratitude¹²."

When he first arrived in Shanghai in 1985, Wittmann spent 3,000 yuan on a Chinese ink painting. Decades have passed; yet his love for traditional Chinese culture has never gone away. Meanwhile, he is also particularly fond of the city environment of Qingdao and the local cuisine¹³. The buildings in the city are reminiscent of European architecture and it helps him feel more at home.

While lecturing in Qingdao, Wittmann also participated in researching the concrete used in the construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Tunnel and Qingdao subway systems.

Local scientific experts worry that the environment where the submarine tunnel is built will deteriorate¹⁴. This will be especially worrying if the salt in the sea water erodes¹⁵ the concrete that covers the outside of the tunnel. Vehicle exhaust that containing CO2 could also carbonize the interior of the tunnel. These are the factors that could likely impact the tunnel's service life.

Professor Wittmann led a team of experts in monitoring the tunnel's concrete durability¹⁶ and evaluating its level of safety. The professor and his team have been nicknamed the "health guards" of the Jiaozhou Bay submarine tunnel.

Wittmann enjoys international fame for his work on maintaining and protecting ancient architecture.

In October 2013, the Museum of the former German Governor's House in Qingdao closed for maintenance.

The German professor is one of the consultants¹⁷ involved in the project. He offers opinions on the maintenance work and contacted German tile manufacturers for a supply of building materials for the museum.

"These are some of the more ancient tiles, specifically for the renovation¹⁹ of this building. We need to find a suitable factory, which may carefully analyze²⁰ these old tiles we delivered to them."

As a consultant¹⁸, Wittman offered valuable advice about the renovation of the museum.

Wang Jianmei is the curator of the Museum of the former German Governor's House in Qingdao.

"I always felt touched by his efforts. Those days were very chilly²¹. Taking off his overcoat, he stayed with us for a discussion on the top floor for two and a half hours."

His endeavors have won Wittmann a lot of honors: in 2009, Wittmann won the National Friendship Award, which is the highest award that the Chinese government has granted to an international expert. In 2010, he won the International Scientific and Technological²² Cooperation Award of China.

From Wittman's perspective, the renovation should give these buildings a new lease on life. The professor is quite happy to find that his efforts have paid off, adding that he doesn't mind coming to China over and over again if it helps contribute to the cultural exchanges between China and Western societies.

For CRI,I'm Xu Fei.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

6 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

7 postgraduates   

研究生( postgraduate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Professor Zhu will give lectures to the postgraduates [graduate students] this term. 朱教授这学期给研究生开课。
• These postgraduates were a very talented group. 这些研究生是一群天分很高的学生。

8 postgraduate   

adj.大学毕业后的，大学研究院的；n.研究生

参考例句：

• I didn't put down that I had postgraduate degree.我没有写上我有硕士学位。
• After college,Mary hopes to do postgraduate work in law school.大学毕业后， 玛丽想在法学院从事研究工作。

9 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

11 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

12 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

13 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

14 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

15 erodes   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的第三人称单数 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The sea erodes the rock. 海水侵蚀岩石。
• The sea erodes the land. 海洋侵蚀陆地。

16 durability   

n.经久性，耐用性

参考例句：

• Nylons have the virtue of durability.尼龙丝袜有耐穿的优点。

17 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

18 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

19 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

20 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

21 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

22 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。