Richard Krause, recent graduate from the doctoral program and currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geosciences, has received a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The fellowship, which will commence in June 2007, will provide Richard with two years of support to live and work in Berlin and conduct research at the world-class Museum für Naturkunde, which houses one of the largest natural history collections in Europe.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a non-profit foundation established by the Federal Republic of Germany for the promotion of international research cooperation. It enables highly qualified scholars not resident in Germany to spend extended periods of research in Germany to carry out research projects of their choice.

Every year, the Foundation enables up to 500 young scholars from all over the world to spend time in Germany. During their stay they conduct research in a wide range of fields from the sciences to engineering to humanities. Individual sponsorship during the fellowship period and longstanding follow-up contacts have been hallmarks of the foundation's work since 1953. The Foundation maintains a network of approximately 22,000 former Humboldt fellows in 130 countries worldwide - including 40 Nobel Prize winners.

Richard is the latest of several Virginia Tech graduate students in Geosciences to receive this prestigious fellowship. Other recent awardees include David Rodland (Ph.D., 2004) and Matthew Powell (M.S., 2002). While studying at Virginia Tech all three were advised by Michal Kowalewski, himself a former Humboldt fellow (1996-1997).