Grethe Rytter Hasle facts for kids

Grethe Berit Rytter Hasle (born January 3, 1920 – died November 9, 2013) was an important Norwegian scientist. She was a planktologist, which means she studied tiny living things in the ocean. She was one of the first women to become a professor of natural science at the University of Oslo. Her main focus was on phytoplankton, which are like tiny plants floating in the water.

About Her Life

Grethe Hasle was born in Borre, Norway. Her father, Johan Kristian Rytter, was a shipmaster. Her mother was Nicoline Olava Nielsen. She married Hans Martin Hasle and took his last name. He passed away in 1971. Grethe Hasle lived in Ekeberg in Norway and died in November 2013.

Her Scientific Career

Grethe Hasle finished her studies at Elverum Teachers' College in 1942. She then graduated from the University of Oslo in 1949. There, she worked with another scientist named Trygve Braarud.

In 1950, she published her first scientific paper. It was about how tiny ocean creatures called dinoflagellates move towards light. In 1968, she earned her highest degree, a dr.philos.. This degree is given for advanced research. Her big research project was about the tiny plants in the Pacific Southern Ocean.

Bacillariophyceae are a type of phytoplankton.

Grethe Hasle started working as a lecturer at the University of Oslo in 1961. She later became a professor of marine botany from 1977 to 1990. She was only the third woman to become a professor in the math and natural sciences department there. In 1980, she joined the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. At that time, she was the only female natural science researcher in the Academy.

She also spent time as a visiting scholar at Texas A&M University from 1968 to 1969. Grethe Hasle is especially known for her studies of phytoplankton. She focused a lot on a specific group called Bacillariophyceae. These are tiny, single-celled algae with unique glass-like cell walls.

A group of tiny ocean plants, called Haslea, was named after her. This shows how important her work was. She also helped to reorganize how certain types of tiny ocean plants were classified. This is called taxonomy. She worked on the classification of the groups Thalassiosira, Nitzschia, and Fragilariopsis.

To celebrate her 70th birthday, a special book of essays was made in her honor. She also received two major awards for her work. In 2000, she got the Award of Excellence from the Phycological Society of America. In 2003, she received the Yasumoto Lifetime Achievement Award. This award came from the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae.