Professor Ulrich Schmucker: 21 July, 1930 - 27 October, 2008

Ulrich Schmucker

Dear colleagues,

Ulrich Schmucker died suddenly on the morning of Monday 27th October, 2008 from complications related to pneumonia whilst attending the EM Induction Workshop in Beijing.

As everyone knows, Ulrich was a very strong supporter of our EM Induction Workshops, and in fact was the only person who had been to all of them from the very first one in 1972. He was Chair of our Working Group from 1975-79.
You can see him in the photos from various workshops (note that he is often hard to find, as he never preferred the limelight):

Other photographs of Ulrich:


Ulrich was thanked for his contributions to our workshops with everyone singing "The Man from Goettingen" - to the tune of The Girl from Ipanema - to him at the Cabo Frio workshop in 2000 on the occassion of his 70th birthday. The words are here (with apologies to to Vinicius de Moraes and Norman Gimbel).


Workshop in memory of Prof. Ulrich Schmucker, Herz-Jesu Monastery in Neustadt, Germany. 26-28 June 2009.


Communication from Ulrich's children

We would like to thank the founders and contributors of this page in memory of our father. We began to get a better impression of the professional life of our father during our trip to China, where our father suddenly got ill and died of the complications of pneumonia, far away from his family and his native soil, but close to the spirit of his colleagues and friends. Our father was always very secretive about his work, never talking about electromagnetic variations at the dinner table, so the significance of his work, especially the publication of “Anomalies in the southwestern United States” remained hidden to his family, we never even having heard the name of the publication before this sad event. He was, as we Germans used to say, “Ein Original”, and as inspiring to his children as he was to his students and fellow scientists. He taught us a great intellectual self esteem combined with a profoundly positive view of the world. In China we read letters he wrote to his friends. In one he mentions the Summer Palace in Beijing, with the temple of earthly tranquility, something which, as he wrote, could be seen in EM-currents as well.
Now he has been finally able to reunite with his wife, our mother Frauke. Our father never got over her passing away. He regularly visited her at the cemetery, bringing her flowers, and taking care of her roses in his old institute in the Herzberger Landstraße, close to the “Erdbebenwarte” and the Gauss-Haus. His success as a scientist and teacher was closely linked to his marriage with our mother, as she was his intelligent, calm and gentle counterpart, who gave him strength, courage and a home he could cycle back to at 5 o’ clock in the morning.
His death, although it didn’t come as such a surprise to his children as to his fellow scientists, since we had observed a gradual decline in his health during the last winters, leaves us sad and somehow lonely. As a father he is irreplaceable to us, and as a conversational counterpart he will be hard to replace.

Katharina and Johannes Schmucker
9th February, 2009


Obituary from Ulrich's former students

Ulrich Schmucker (21.7.1930 – 27.10.2008)
Ulrich Schmucker passed away in a Beijing hospital in the early morning hours of October 27, 2008. He was in China to attend the 19th International Workshop on Electromagnetic Induction in the Earth, a biannual workshop which he had been a founding member of and had for more than 30 years attended without fail.
Ulrich had devoted his life to the investigation of the Earth’s magnetic field. He was one of the pioneers in using electromagnetic induction effects caused by natural time variations of the geomagnetic field to probe the Earth’s conductivity. His visions and insight inspired the electromagnetic research community for more than four decades.
Ulrich graduated from Göttingen University (Germany) as a geologist in 1956, working on rock magnetism. Becoming increasingly interested in the mathematical treatment of physical problems especially related to the Earth‘s magnetic field, he moved from geology to geophysics and worked with Julius Bartels on electromagnetic induction problems in the Earth.
In the late 1950s he conducted an electromagnetic field survey in Northern Germany and investigated an induction anomaly which became known as the North German Conductivity Anomaly. Ulrich’s systematic survey of this prominent geomagnetic substorm anomaly can be considered as the prototype of successful induction studies: After collecting excellent data, he introduces for the first time geomagnetic transfer functions and interprets them by simple conductivity models. He has achieved his results by combining his open sense for a pragmatic quantitative treatment with his profound background knowledge of geology and physics - a combination, which characterizes all his future work. After this survey, he moved to the United States where he stayed for 7 years, working mainly at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California. Here he carried out similar investigations using Askania Variographs that recorded on film which he processed himself. This work resulted in the discovery of two now famous conductivity anomalies in the Southwestern United States and beneath the Andes in Peru. These results were summarized in a monograph entitled "Anomalies of Geomagnetic Variations in the Southwestern United States" (published in 1970) establishing the new field of geomagnetic depth research that continues to fascinate scientists around the world to this day.
Back in Germany, he accepted a call to Göttingen University as a Professor of Geomagnetism in 1974, where he pursued his scientific research at the Institute of Geophysics up until (and after) his retirement in 1995.
The Göttingen Institute of Geophysics provided him with optimum working conditions: his colleagues perfected field techniques, the mechanics lab built and repaired precision equipment, draftsmen produced figures for his publications, and others undertook most of the administrative work so that he was able to focus on research and teaching. Ulrich was always aware of these favorable conditions and appreciated his institutional environment highly. In this environment he nurtured and educated an entire generation of EM geophysicists who went on to fill key positions in German and European universities and research institutes. This is one of his enduring legacies and his extraordinary achievement as an outstanding educator was recognized in 2001 with the Gerry W. Hohmann Award for Excellence in Applied Electrical Geophysics.
Ulrich was gifted with a phenomenal memory, an enormous power of concentration and a keen intuition. He questioned accepted viewpoints and developed new approaches in surprising and original ways – often while apparently detached from time and space sitting at his desk in the Göttingen institute looking out over the Leine Graben or while at home in a hammock on his balcony among flowering Hibiscus. His way of doing creative science, based on ingenious ideas, inspired an entire generation of students. Ulrich managed to achieve so much with so little.
His scientific brilliance was unquestioned and positions in national and international scientific organizations were numerous: he was member of the IAGA Executive Committee 1983 to 1987; IAGA vice president 1987 to 1991; Chairman of IAGA Working Group I2 ‘Electromagnetic Induction and Electrical Conductivity’ 1975 to 1979; secretary of the German Geophysical Society (DGG) 1975 to 1979 and its chairman from 1983 to 1985. In his long role as an evaluator for the German Research Foundation (DFG), he was a critical but benevolent voice for geophysical research and most of all a voice with deep respect for the freedom of science. In 1982 he received the Emil Wiechert Medal, the most prestigious award of the German Geophysical Society.
In spite of his specialization, Ulrich has been a scientist with a holistic view very much in the mold of Alexander von Humboldt with whom he was always deeply impressed. During field campaigns he loved it to visit monasteries and churches along the way. He had an intense awareness and detailed knowledge of the native flora and fauna, which he always used to share with his students and co-workers.
Despite suffering from a cold, he decided to fly to Beijing to attend the workshop on electromagnetic induction in October 2008. His illness worsened suddenly and unexpectedly he died on the 4th day of the workshop to the dismay and shock of his colleagues. Perhaps he was predestined to end his life in this foreign country, a country he had always felt an affinity for, during a workshop he had helped create, surrounded by his friends and colleagues, and in a community that was almost like a family.
We say goodbye to our colleague, mentor and friend Ulrich Schmucker and we are thankful to him for sharing his remarkable gifts with us in his generous way. He will always have a special place in our hearts and minds.

Klaus Spitzer, Karsten Bahr, Heinrich Brasse, Andreas Junge, Yuguo Li, Nils Olsen, Bülent Tezkan, Peter Weidelt


Comments/reminiscences from Ulrich's colleagues and friends

Antal Adam

I cannot express my sorrowful feelings I had when I heard about Professor Schmucker's death. I highly respected his scientific quality and great humanity.I worked with him as his co-chairman in the EM Induction WG for 4 years and prepared together the 3rd Induction Workshop in Sopron in 1976.I have a lot of his letters showing how carful he was when doing the business of the WG. In particular I remember his kindliness:in 1999 he came to Sopron to commemorate my 70th birthday.He was really a good friend,too.-I strongly support all actions in IAGA to preserve his memory which is so kind for us.

Enrique Borzotta

With a great sadness I received the news Dr. Schmucker died. Although I did not have the honor to know him in person, I had the opportunity to interchange handwritten letters with him since 2005, when he was 75 years old, and I sent a letter for his birthday. After that, I wrote time to time and he always answered my letters. They were very kind and beautiful letters where he told me about some of his thoughts. He considered gardens and forests "the rigth places to relax and contemplate about how to proceed in our scientific works", rigth places "for cultivation of our minds", "away from noise and traffic". His last letter was July 6th 2008. I will remember Dr. Schmucker and I will treasure their kind letters plenty of feelings and comments.

Chip Cox

My family and I have lost a dear friend with the passing of Ulrich in Beijing. I first met him when he came, as a recent student of Bartels, to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the invitation of Victor Vacquier in 1960. Here he began his geomagnetic section which extended from the coast of California to Texas, based on magnetometer stations that he set up in tiny huts, and carefully tended . It was here that he proposed marriage to Frauke, his companion for many happy years. With his many visits here he became a cherished friend. I will remember him not only and a great scientist but as a unique personage: careful, thoughtful, kind and amazingly frugal.
As an aside please note that Victor Vacquier died last week at the age of 101. So time moves forward leaving sparks of human personalities in its wake.

Al Duba

Thank you for sending this message; I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Ulrich Schmucker. Ulrich was an excellent scientist, an inspiring leader, and a truly dedicated teacher who patiently answered questions in a way that educated not only his students but his peers as well. His inspirational leadership in the international scientific arena of IAGA and his patience with colleagues who lacked in either language or electromagnetic induction skills helped make our EM Induction Workshops flourish. His death is a great loss not only for the electromagnetic induction community but also for science and for the promotion of scientific understanding in the public at large. My family will miss Ulrich as well. My wife Lucy shares my sadness at his death and reminded me of her first meeting with Ulrich at his home in Goettingen during the weekend preceding Rosenmontag (the Monday of Mardi Gras week) in 1980. Ulrich had invited Lucy and me, our three pre-teen sons, and my teen-age sister to his home for a luncheon on the Saturday following a seminar I had given at his institute the day before (I was a visiting professor in Utrecht, NL at the time). Following the meal, Ulrich volunteered to entertain the children (our three sons and his son) with some of his childhood toys. He brought in boxes of marvelous model trains and cars from the 1930's and proceeded to set them up and play with them on the floor with the children. It was truly wonderful to watch this famous and gifted scientist down on all fours enchanting the children and enjoying their pleasure in seeing such beautifully preserved, well-functioning toys from a bygone era. We shall miss him and his zest for life, nature, science, and people.

Eduard Fainberg

I am very, very regret on tragic death of Ulrich Schmucker. I met him for the first time 30 years ago during 4th Workshop in Murnau. Before that I knew him on his monograph "Anomalies of Geomagnetic Variations in the Southwestern United States" which was my handbook. I was very impressed how friendly and gentle he was. Since this meeting we met many times and every time I enjoyed by relations with him. I remember one case which happened in Neuchatel. Ulrich made a presentation and I asked him about his proof of a theorem. I compared the proof with the trick which baron Munchausen applied when he pull out himself from a pound. Ulrich laughed and said that he likes this comparison. Soon after that he sent me a gift: large colorful book with adventures of baron Munchausen and wrote that Munchausen's history is close connected with the Goettingen University. Ulrich Schmucker made a lot for our community and I welcome the idea to organize several special sessions on electromagnetic induction and dedicate them to Ulrich memory

Ian Gough

I got to know Ulrich largely through IAGA and the EM Induction Workshops. He was a Vice-President of IAGA through my presidency. Aside from his fine qualities as a scientist, he was one of the gentlest and kindest men I've known. I never knew him to put anyone down, for instance when asked a question by someone less gifted than himself. Such people leave the world a little colder when they die. I think often of Rosemary, as I'm sure do you.

Malcolm Johnston

I was very sorry to hear of Ulrich's death. I feel very fortunate to have met such a nice person and to have interacted with such a great scientist. I first met Ulrich in early 1970's when I was a very green PhD. He had just completed his benchmark paper on the "ocean effect" in California and I was searching for magnetic effects with slip and earthquakes on the San Andreas fault. One of the "noise" sources we were attempting to remove derived from ocean driven induced electrical currents in the highly conducting San Andreas fault zone. Ulrich immediately identified this as a classic case of "one persons signal is another persons noise". The discussion of which was which went on and on for many years.
I will never forget his subsequent encouragement and continual checks (usually every year or so at various meetings or when ever our paths crossed) on what we had discovered and what types of processing techniques we had tried. I will certainly miss the very penetrating questions he asked always with a twinkle in his eye.

Alan Jones

When I arrived at Edinburgh to start my PhD with Rosemary Hutton in 1973, the very first thing she gave me to read was Ulrich's monograph "Anomalies of Geomagnetic Variations in the Southwestern United States". I must admit I kept the copy, and still have it annotated from my reading at that time.
I met Ulrich for the first time when Rosemary invited him to Ediburgh in the Summer of 1975. A photograph of us both taken by Rosemary on a day out to Dryburgh Abbey, on the banks of the River Tweed, can be viewed here.
I took Ulrich out to my MT site SAL in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, above the famous Eskdalemuir Anomaly, and showed him my MT acquisition. In those days the recording system was coloured pens on a chart, so it was very visual and one could see events in real-time. Ulrich hadn't seen many e-field recordings before, so I was able to "educate" him a little in MT. I was struck by his inquisitiveness and his breadth of knowledge, but perhaps more so by his generousity of spirit and his humbleness. He was immediately "Ulrich", and not "Herr Professor Doktor Schmucker".
One evening he came to the house I shared with six others, including the girlfriend of Rosemary's first PhD student Dennis Rooney. Ulrich sat on the sofa drinking beer surrounded by a bunch of young people watching a football game - I can't remember who was playing now - but he was right at home. He did give me a hard time for the poster in our house that said "No to Europe", as the U.K. was having a referendum about joining what has become the European Union.
I spent many hours at many meetings and workshops in Ulrich's company, especially when I moved to Muenster for four years (1977-1981). I remember walking him to Muester train station one evening after the DGG meeting (1979?) - of course he had missed his train, but funnier was we walked outside and the Institute bicycle I had borrowed had been stolen.
Ulrich's great contribution to our science was his ability to easily cross the boundaries between geology, physics and mathematics. Most of us have a very hard time doing that. Ulrich's great contribution to our community was his inclusivity - the way he made everyone feel very welcome and that everyone had something useful to say. His questions were probing, but always gentle.
Back to the copy of Ulrich's monograph that I borrowed on extended loan from Rosemary, I actually lost it some years ago and wrote to Ulrich asking if by chance he still had any copies. He replied instantly - or as instantly as Irish and German postal services will allow - and sent me his last copy.
I am in EM Induction because of the generosity of those leaders of our field back in the 1970s when I was a young graduate student, and Ulrich was one of them. Our field is less richer now because Ulrich is no longer with us.

Ted Lilley

I first met Ulrich Schmucker in the early 1970's, I think at the IUGG in Moscow. In those days his name was synonymous with his Scripps Bulletin on induction anomalies, and like many others new to the field I learned a great deal from that book. In the intervening decades he has been a constant strength of the subject scientifically, also demonstrating the wonderful extra dimension science has in the warmth of the personalities who promulgate it. A year ago a highlight of the Freiberg 3DEM workshop was the rich heritage of the town's church organ music, and I learned about the part Bach had played in this history when I met Ulrich at a recital. At such times it was most rewarding to be in conversation with Ulrich.

Nick Palshin

The Russian geophysicists grieve the sudden passing away of an outstanding scientist Ulrich Schmucker. We are shocked by the tragic news.Ulrich Schmucker was the founder of the International Workshop on EM Induction and died in Beijng participating in the XIX EM Induction Workshop. For many years he played the leading role in the world geoelectrics. It is hardly possible to estimate the progress of geoelectromagnetism without Ulrich Schmucker’s contributions. He headed the German EM School and his students are successfully working now all over the world. Russian EM community would like to send sincerest condolesences to his family and colleagues.

U. Raval and K. Veeraswamy

We learn with deep regrets and sorrow the sad demise of Prof. U. Schmucker. The EM Induction group all over the world in particular and geosciences in general have lost a father figure. His contributions to the field of electromagnetic induction in the earth have been very profound and of far-reaching consequences. More than a generation of scientists all over the world in this field have learnt modelling and interpretation of EM data from his excellent contributions and deep insights. We indeed feel a vaccum due to this irrepairable loss. We pray, let his soul rest in piece and his family able to bear this loss.

Tom Shankland

It is a sad thing to lose a valued colleague, particularly when he possesses such a warm and gentle spirit. That spirit appeared in my favorite memory of Ulrich. In the early 1970s he stayed with my family and me in our house in Lexington, Massachusetts, probably a consequence of a visit to Harvard and/or MIT. In the afternoon a wasp found its way into the house, and to avoid a possible sting I was ready to commit insecticide. However, Ulrich requested a water glass and a piece of paper; he used them to capture the wasp while it fluttered against a window. The wasp was freed unharmed outdoors. To me this act symbolized the generous, hospitable treatment that he showed to so many grateful associates.

Toshihiro Uchida

I have met Ulrich many times since the Wellington Induction Workshop in 1992; at the MTDIW-1. He had a mind of honest child with deep curiosity all the time. He had eagerness, honestness and severeness on science. He warmly accepted young new comers in the EM community from even farther parts of the world like me. He was one of the few best gentleman-scientists in our community. I have learned the importance of such attitude very much, although to follow such ways is not easy for many of us.

John Weaver

Thank you for your recent message distributed via MTNet. I had been wondering whom I should write to, to express my own sense of great sadness and personal loss on the untimely and tragic death of Ulrich in Beijing, and to convey my deepest sympathy to his family (a son and daughter, I believe), and to his many friends and colleagues in Germany and the wider community. From your message I gather you are the point of contact for receiving such messages of condolence, so I am forwarding to you my own few words.
I am still finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the ever-present pillar, indeed the very heart and soul of the EM induction community, is no longer with us. It is also hard for me to realise that I first met Ulrich almost exactly 53 years ago in Göttingen when I had newly arrived there as an exchange student for one year. At that time Ulrich was finishing his PhD and was probably more geologist than geophysicist. He was very welcoming and friendly to me.
After going our separate ways I next saw Ulrich at the 1963 IUGG meeting held in Berkeley, California. In the interim he had been responsible for the investigation of the North German Anomaly, a project conducted during the 1957 – 58 International Geophysical Year, and had subsequently undertaken a similar study in the USA while based at Scripps. His classic work “Anomalies of Geomagnetic Variations in the SW United States” was under preparation at this time and I was amazed how the German-speaking geologist I had known before had transformed himself into a mathematically adept geophysicist now presenting his work in fluent English. Those pioneering studies were, of course, the start of his long and brilliant career in geo-electromagnetic induction and it is fitting that he should have been the one person to have attended every EM Induction Workshop since their inception in 1972.
Ian Gough’s words, which you quote, capture Ulrich’s kind and considerate nature perfectly. I would simply add that he was also particularly encouraging to scientists from the so-called ‘developing countries’ and strongly supportive of holding the Workshops in those countries from time to time. It would be most appropriate to honour him with an award in his name as others have suggested, or perhaps we could even rename the Induction Workshops as ‘Schmucker Conferences’. Just a wild thought!