Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld
Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld (born November 3, 1924 in Hamm ) is a German engineer and hydrogeologist .
Live and act
After graduating from high school, Heitfeld studied geology at the University of Münster , where he also received his doctorate degree in 1952 with the dissertation: " The red-lying and empty seams of the Menden / Westphalia region ". rer. nat. PhD. After several years of practical work in the oil industry and at the Ruhrtalsperrenverein , Heitfeld came to RWTH Aachen University in 1966 . Here he achieved his habilitation in the same year and was then taken on as a private lecturer in geology. Around the same time, from 1965 to 1970, Heitfeld headed a consulting firm for engineering and hydrogeology. Through his scientific work, Heitfeld became the decisive founder of German engineering geology in 1967, which today includes, among other things, the data of the rock, its stress and deformation properties as well as the effects of the trapped water.
On April 1, 1970, the RWTH Aachen transferred the chair for engineering and hydrogeology in the geosciences department of the Faculty of Mining, Metallurgy and Geosciences to him. Here he taught and researched until his retirement in 1990 and also took on a variety of tasks in the university's self-governing bodies.
After Heitfeld was involved in the rehabilitation work for dams and dams that were badly damaged in the war as well as in the planning and scientific preparation of new dam projects in the early years of his career, appointments for projects abroad followed later. His work on 25 dam constructions in Greece, on the preparatory work for the Aswan and Euphrates dams as well as on pumped storage plants in Germany, Ireland and Taiwan made him a globally recognized and sought-after expert in engineering and hydrogeology. In addition, Heitfeld always advocated sustainable environmental design, including the establishment of landfills and the environmentally friendly treatment of contaminated sites to protect the groundwater . In addition to his professional obligations, Heitfeld was a member of various committees of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for many years and, as a reviewer, contributed significantly to the quality assurance of the basic research supported by the DFG.
Foundations
With several foundations and awards, Heitfeld advocates gifted students in the field of geosciences and the sustainable use of the earth's no longer usable resources. So he founded
- 1995 together with his wife the Professor Dr. Karl Heinrich Heitfeld Foundation at RWTH Aachen. Every year, this honors young geoscientists for particularly outstanding achievements in diplomas or doctorates and enables young scientists in the field of geosciences to gain further qualifications at foreign universities or international research institutions. The monetary price for dissertations is 2000 euros each, for master theses 1000 euros. Travel grants and grants are also awarded to postgraduates.
- In 1995 the Professor Karl Heinrich Heitfeld Foundation under the umbrella of the GeoUnion Alfred Wegener Foundation , which since then has been awarded the Karl Heinrich Heitfeld Prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, every two years and from 1999 every three years, for outstanding individual achievements as well as for a awards outstanding complete works of a scientist, especially in the first and / or middle phase of life or professional life.
- In 1999 the Hildegard and Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld Foundation of the University of Münster, based on the Aachen model for the purpose of promoting geology and palaeontology at the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster, in particular by awarding scholarships to students and postgraduates who are particularly worthy of support, as well as for awarding Prizes are given to outstanding diploma and doctoral candidates, whereby two prizes of 2500 euros each are to be awarded annually.
Honors (selection)
For his exceptional scientific merits and the promotion of engineering geology, Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld
- 1999 honorary doctorate from Bergakademie Freiberg
- 2003 Honorary Senator of the Westphalian Wilhelms University of Münster and
- Appointed honorary senator of RWTH Aachen University in 2004 as well
- 2003 awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class.
Works (selection)
- Hydro and building geological investigations into the permeability of the subsoil at reservoirs in the Sauerland , Geological Institute of RWTH Aachen University, 1965
- Karl Heinrich Heitfeld, Hans Peter Uffmann: The importance of the geological structure of cohesive layers for soil compensation by means of deep compaction. Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen, 1978
- Engineering geological problems in the border area between loose and solid rock , Springer, Berlin, 1985
- Karl Heinrich Heitfeld, Lutz Krapp, Torsten Böcke: The Mechernich Triassic Bay: A geological-hydrogeological-water management study , Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen, 1987
- Dams , Textbook of Hydrogeology, Vol. 5, Gebr. Borntraeger, Berlin, Stuttgart, 1991
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Heitfeld, Karl-Heinrich |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Heitfeld, Karl-Heinrich Theodor |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German engineer and hydrogeologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 3, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hamm |