Introducing the Arnold Berliner Award
Sven Thatje
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) Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre
, Southampton,
University of Southampton
, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH,
UK
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Arnold Berliner was the founding editor of
Naturwissenschaften (NAWI). In 1912, he proposed to Ferdinand Springer,
owner of the Springer Publishing Company, the founding
of the journal, which he led and developed over the
following 22 years. In his first editorial published in 1913,
Berliner stated that NAWI should inform all those working
in scientific fields, either researchers or teachers, about
what interested them outside their own fields (translated from
German; Naturwissenschaften 1(1):1; published 3 January
1913; Autrum 1988) (Fig. 1).
Berliner's vision to fill a gap in the communication of
science, in particular the need for synthesising knowledge
from all the branches of science, and to translate this
knowledge to lay audience was well ahead of most journals of his
time. During the Weimar Republic, NAWI gained acceptance
across wide parts of educated German-speaking society and
emerged as a voice for science that did not only address
scientific peers (Stltzner 2002). His dedication and success
in taking on board this difficult task was acknowledged by the
great level of support expressed on the occasion of his 70th
birthday, including by Einstein (1932) who, among others,
had continuously encouraged Berliner in his activities.
Berliner was Jewish. On 13 August 1935, he was
dismissed from the journal as part of the non-Aryan policies
implemented by the NAZI government. On 22 March 1942,
aged 79, Arnold Berliner, the German Jewish Physicist,
committed suicide.
NAWI is turning 100 years in 2013, and this occasion will
be celebrated as a milestone for science. Today, NAWI is part
of an international system of scientific journals that seek for
standardisation of quality and advance in science (Thatje
2012), and from today's perspective, the role of academic
journals during the volatile political decades of the first half
of the twentieth century is difficult to comprehend. The
journal's history is a success history of twentieth century
science, but at the same time cannot be separated from some
of the very darkest parts of modern history, over-shadowing
its early existence.
To honour Arnold Berliner's dedication to science and his
journal, I herein, and on behalf of the publisher Springer,
introduce the Arnold Berliner Award. In recognition of our
founding editor, this award will be given annually, for the
We direct our request to scientists of all countries,
irrespective of political borders, with the hope for
collaboration, in the interest of all and for a common
task, which equally concerns all scientists.
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