He is Professor of Chemical Engineering at his home university. This is why Rorrer took advantage of the prestigious Fulbright programme to spend a semester researching and teaching in Austria - namely in the Department of Energy & Environment at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences. "I was invited to a wedding in Germany and wanted to make a detour to Pinkafeld to see the local conditions - we Americans tend to underestimate the size of Europe. After receiving such a warm welcome and being shown around, I didn't hesitate for a moment and accepted the position here in Pinkafeld."

"Free education is a privilege"

Rorrer expects his students "to question things and go through the world with open eyes. I also want them to realise what a privileged situation they are in, because American students leave university with an average debt of around 80,000 dollars. Here, no tuition fees are charged for an equivalent education. That's not something you can take for granted."