Dieter Hartmann in Peru: Dieter Hartmann with his wife in Peru on one of their many travels.
Credit: Courtesy Dieter Hartmann

My life has led me to ask certain questions that I would love to be able to answer. I want to do as much as I can during my lifetime. That is what drives me on a daily basis. But if for some reason we can’t get that gravity wave detector, or we can’t get that gamma-ray detector, maybe the next generation will catch up. And in life you can’t just do one thing – you have to design your life in an entertaining way. I do science but I also like cooking, traveling and pretty much all sports – except I can’t find a way to really fall in love with football. It’s just not exciting to me. One thing I wish I could do is create music, because I love music, but I don’t really have that skill.

Everybody takes a zig-zag route to where they are going in life. The trajectory you are on is determined in little episodes. You decide the direction, and school, teachers, parents, professors – we just guide or assist you on a small segment of a complicated road. So when thinking about your future, don’t ask What do I do next?, think What is it that I want? and with help from people who can guide you, discover what you are capable of.

I wasn’t sure for the longest time that I could do this, but here I am.