Wolfgang H. Berger facts for kids
Wolfgang "Wolf" Helmut Berger (born October 5, 1937, in Erlangen, Germany – died August 6, 2017, in San Diego, California) was a German-American scientist. He was an oceanographer, a geologist, and a micropaleontologist. He was also a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
Wolfgang Berger studied many things about the ocean. He was interested in tiny ocean creatures, how sediments form on the seafloor, and how productive the ocean is. He also researched the carbon cycle, the history of the ocean, and the history of Earth's climate.
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Becoming a Scientist
Wolfgang Berger started his science journey in Germany. In 1961, he earned his first degree in geology from the University of Erlangen. He then moved to the United States. In 1963, he got his master's degree in geology from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
He continued his studies at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). In 1968, he earned his PhD in oceanography.
Working at Scripps Institution
After getting his PhD, Berger worked as a researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD from 1968 to 1970. He also spent some time in Germany, working at the Geological Institute of the University of Kiel in 1970 and 1971.
In 1971, he returned to the Scripps Institution as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor in 1974 and a full professor in 1981. He even served as the interim director of the Scripps Institution in 1996 and 1997. In 1997, he became the director of the California Space Institute in San Diego.
He also visited other universities to teach and research. He was a visiting professor at the University of Kiel in 1977 and 1980. In 1987, he did research at the University of Bremen.
Studying Tiny Ocean Life and Climate
Wolfgang Berger's main research focused on tiny ocean creatures called foraminifera. These are single-celled organisms with shells. He studied how they live in the ocean.
He also used these tiny fossils to understand Earth's past climate and ocean environment. He focused on the Cenozoic Era, which is the last 66 million years of Earth's history. By studying these tiny fossils, scientists can learn a lot about how our planet has changed over long periods.
Awards and Honors
Wolfgang Berger was recognized for his important work in oceanography and geology. He was a Fellow of several major scientific groups, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the Geological Society of America.
He received many awards for his contributions to science:
- 1979 – Bigelow Medal from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
- 1980 – Norwegian Research Fellow
- 1984 – A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in the Marine Sciences from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
- 1986 – Lady Davis Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- 1986 – Humboldt Award
- 1988 – Maurice Ewing Medal
- 1991 – Prince Albert I Medal
- 1993 – Balzan Prize
- 1998 – Gustav-Steinmann-Medaille
- 2001 – Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea
- 2012 – EGU Milutin Milankovic Medal
