The Rector, co-workers and fellows of the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg mourn their colleague Uwe Opolka, who died last Friday at the age of 59 after a short, severe illness. Uwe Opolka was a research associate at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) since October 1998.
If his successful work at the HWK was devoted to the most diverse academic disciplines, to the initiation and conception of programs and projects such as "Determinants of Human Behavior†or to the publication of lecture series at the HWK in collaboration with NordwestRadio, yet his passion was claimed by books, music and art. At the HWK he could put these passions, along with constant scientific curiosity and a profound knowledge, to good use for the institute, the partners of the institute and the fellows, crucially influencing the HWK’s structure and development.
Born in Oldenburg and raised in Hamburg and Stuttgart, Uwe Opolka began studies in German studies and philosophy, which culminated in a state examination. He then became a teaching assistant for Ernst Bloch at the Leibniz Kolleg at the University of Tuebingen before working for several years as editor at the German Institute for Distance Education (DIFF). His scientific, science journalistic and popular science pieces and translations on anthropology, neurobiology, music, health and gerontology were highly regarded and demonstrated phenomenal expertise.
This outstanding expertise and broad education were also the foundation for his keen ability to bring together representatives of different disciplines at the HWK and enable collaborations that reached across cultural boundaries, which led to exciting new research projects at the institute; "Transcultural Universalsâ€, a lecture series devoted to the overarching aspects of human life, would not have taken place without Uwe Opolka’s dedication.
Prof. Reto Weiler, Rector of the HWK, agrees with his predecessor, Prof. Gerhard Roth: "Without Uwe Opolka, the HWK would not be what it is today, namely a site of animated scientific communication. For this, we are all, and I personally am forever in his debt.â€