Wuttig was born on April 3, 1933, in Dresden, Germany. He was a physicist, then metallurgist, then materials scientist. He trained at the Technische Hochschule Dresden and Technische Universität Berlin. He began his scientific career at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin and the Gauss Ingenieur Schule, Berlin. He then moved to the United States.He was a professor in the Department of Metallurgy at the University of Missouri–Rolla following postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign. He also served as the Director of the National Science Foundation's Metallurgy Program. He completed his career with a tenure of over 35 years at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he helped shape the creation of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His scientific contributions impacted the field of smart materials, multiferroics, and shape memory alloys.
In addition to his insatiable curiosity for science, Wuttig loved music (particularly classical and jazz) and the outdoors. He had a fantastic sense of humor. Wuttig has touched many through his mentorship and service to the scientific community. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
A memorial event held in his honor will be planned later in 2024. Details on the memorial event forthcoming.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Wuttig’s honor to the Sierra Club or the Kennedy Center.
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