"THE SECRET IS TO NEVER GIVE UP YOUR CHILDLIKE CURIOSITY."

Professor Cramer, you went to Bristol in the 1990s because you felt restricted at German universities. Did you also need a lot of freedom as a child? As a child, I had a different hobby every year. I was rather difficult, very provocative, and always wanted to do everything by myself and understand how the world works. Without having a clue, I would try to build a radio or repair a broken model train. One day, my parents gave me a chemistry set, and that's when my interest was really sparked. I also had a chemistry teacher who was always willing to talk to me during breaks because I had all kinds of questions. One summer I had this pretty bizarre hobby of trying to collect all the elements on the periodic table. Iron and copper were easy to find, but back then the teacher added silicon to my list.