Gerhard Herzberg - Nobel Laureate
Gerhard Herzberg
Dr. Gerhard Herzberg received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1971 for "his contributions to the knowledge of electronic structure and geometry of molecules, particularly free radicals". In the presentation speech it was stated the "Dr. Gerhard Herzberg, is generally considered to be the world's foremost molecular spectroscopist and his large institute in Ottawa is the undisputed centre for such research. Herzberg's elegant experimental investigations combined with his theoretical insight into their interpretation contributed to the progress of quantum mechanics while being decisive for the rapid development of molecular spectroscopy."
Dr. Herzberg was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1904 and received his Bachelor's degree in 1927 and his Ph.D. degree in 1928, both in engineering, from the Darmstadt Institute of Technology. The Nazi persecution of Jews forced Dr. Herzberg to emigrate to Canada in 1935 and for a decade he was research professor and teacher at the University of Saskatchewan where he established a spectroscopy laboratory. In his acceptance speech he said "It is obvious that the work that has earned me the Nobel Prize was not done without a great deal of help. First of all, while at the University of Saskatchewan I had the full and understanding support of successive Presidents and of the Faculty of the University who, under very stringent conditions, did their utmost to make it possible for me to proceed with my scientific work."