NEWSLETTER

For example, he was appointed Govern-
ing Director of International Water As-
sociation (IWA) and awarded the First
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic
of Germany, which is more than ample
evidence for his devotion to and out-
standing achievement in the field of
water environment protection and for
the recognition accorded him by top aca-
demic institutions and the government
of Germany. In regard to the honors he
had won, Professor Dohmann modestly
conceded that he was only doing what
he enjoyed the most. He never regretted
his initial decision to disobey his father’s
wishes and choose environmental en-
gineering for his college education and
lifetime career.
Professor Dohmann shared his rule
for success in a speech addressed to SCU
students. He said, “You have to learn
from your failure by acquiring experience
from it. It is also important to develop
self-control and gratefulness. I am grate-
ful for everything I have today and for
the people who have helped me. I believe
there are four keys for the door to suc-
cess—a keen interest in learning and the
right direction, diligence and persever-
ance, development of a sociable charac-
ter, and gratitude.
Thriving Career at SCU
Professor Dohmann has paid 12 visits
to Chengdu since 1994. He fell in love
with the city and called it his “second
hometown.” He believed that he would
continue his active career at SCU.
SCU has had a great deal of coopera-
tion and exchange with RWTH Aachen
University in the field of environmental
engineering for a long period of time.
Thanks to the liaison and assistance from
Professor Dohmann, SCU introduced the
core courses of the master’s program in
environmental engineering from RWTH
Aachen University as early as April, 2004.
Professor Dohmann’s face lit up with
excitement when he started talking about
SCU. He said that SCU has accumulated
rich cultural heritage since its found-
ing over a century ago. Being a research-
oriented comprehensive university, SCU
was committed to its responsibilities
for academic training and research. The
school was also committed to the social
responsibilities a top university should
undertake. SCU believed that its devel-
opment was inseparable from the com-
mon, popular and global environmental
problems usually associated with social
SUMMER 2012
development and regional economy.
SCU exerted its strengths in research, the
comprehensive range of disciplines, and
competent human resources to explore
for ways to deal with the environmental
issues that are critical for the existence
of all humans. Considering SCU’s atten-
tion to environmental issues, Professor
Dohmann believed that SCU is doing
meaningful work in teaching and re-
search. He, then, made up his mind to
work with researchers at SCU and partici-
pate in joint research projects by China
and Germany so as to make his due
share of contribution to the resolution of
various water environment management
problems faced by China, Germany and
many other countries. As a result, the
Sino-Germany Water Management Sym-
posium (SGWMS), co-sponsored by SCU
and RWTH Aachen University, was held
in April, 2010 with the help from Profes-
Sichuan University Newsletter
09