In 1931, Van Kampen took up the position which he had been offered at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and travelled to the United States. There he met Oscar Zariski who had taught at Johns Hopkins as a Johnston Scholar from 1927 until 1929, when he had joined the Faculty.
In 1931, Van Kampen accepted the position he had been offered at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and traveled to the United States. There he encountered Oscar Zariski, who had taught at Johns Hopkins as a Johnston Scholar from 1927 until 1929, when he became a faculty member.