Alumnistory: Prof. Dr. Eva Enkelmann

Eva Enkelmann completed her doctorate at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg in 2005. Following her doctorate, she conducted research at various universities, including Tübingen, Lehigh University and the University of Cincinnati in the USA. She has been a professor at the University of Calgary since 2017. There, she enjoys the close interaction between the university and industry and authorities, such as the geological services. Canada is the second largest country in the world and is very rich in natural resources. Its economy is primarily based on their extraction. This is also reflected in research. Canadian research funding is often prioritised for projects where scientists collaborate with non-academic partners. Students who are involved in such research projects learn about the applied side of their studies and expand their network, which often leads to later employment. Prof Enkelmann herself has worked on research projects in India, central China, Myanmar, Argentina, the western USA, Alaska and the Canadian Cordillera. She is currently conducting active research projects in the northern Canadian Cordillera (NWT and Yukon) and the southern Canadian Cordillera (Alberta and BC) as well as along the eastern edge of North America.

To this day, there is also a lively exchange with former colleagues from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Prof Enkelmann is a guest at the institute at least every two years.

The dedicated researcher's latest project is a project close to her heart. She has written a book: Rocky Voices - The memories of minerals that form the Rocky Mountains. "This book is aimed at young adults and families who want to learn more about geological processes and the Rocky Mountains through entertaining and adventurous stories." The characters in the book reveal the fascinating world of rocks and minerals in the Rockies in surprising, funny and sometimes dramatic ways. Eva Enkelmann says of herself that her motivation as a geologist is to read the minds of rocks and uncover their hundreds of millions of years old stories to inspire others.