His decision to study physics was not well appreciated by his father

One of the most interesting facts about Edward Teller is that his decision to study physics was not well appreciated by his father. Teller studied mathematics and chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe from 1926 to 1928, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering. He once remarked that Herman Mark, a visiting professor, was responsible for him becoming a physicist after hearing lectures on molecular spectroscopy when Mark made it plain to him that it was new concepts in physics that were fundamentally redefining the boundary of chemistry. Herman Francis Mark was an Austrian-American scientist known for his contributions to polymer science. Mark's work on the molecular structure of fibers using x-ray diffraction offered vital support for the macromolecular hypothesis of polymer structure. He and Houwink developed an equation, now known as the Mark-Houwink or Mark-Houwink-Sakurada equation, that describes the dependency of a polymer's inherent viscosity on its relative molecular mass (molecular weight). He was a Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn professor for many years. Mark was an expert in polymer chemistry, an area critical to understanding biochemistry, and he told him about the main quantum physics achievements made by Louis de Broglie, among others. Teller was inspired to pursue physics after being exposed to it through Mark's lectures.

His father was so anxious after learning of his son's intention to switch that he traveled to see him and speak with his lecturers at school. While a degree in chemical engineering was a sure path to well-paying employment at a chemical company, a degree in physics did not have the same clear path. He was not privy to his father's discussions with his instructors, but the result was that he received his father's consent to become a physicist.