Harald Nicolai Storm Wergeland (14 March 1912 – 25 January 1987) was a Norwegian

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

. He was a professor at the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology ( Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was ...

. He was born in

Norderhov Norderhov is a former municipality located within Ringerike (municipality), Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Municipality Norderhov municipality was established on January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census the ...

as a son of forest manager Harald Nicolay Storm Wergeland (1884–1953) and Ebba Marie Weien (1889–1952). In 1937 he married Hedvig Louise Ording, a sister of

Fredrik Ording Fredrik Christian Wildhagen Ording (6 April 1870 – 2 February 1929) was a Norwegian educator, writer and politician for the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Party. Personal life He was born in Drammen as a son of Rector (academia), re ...

. He finished his secondary education in 1931. He graduated as a

chemical engineer A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...

from the

in 1936 and earned the

dr.philos. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree in 1942. He was briefly a teacher at Trondheim Commerce School before working as an assistant at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1939. Wergeland worked as a professor of physics from 1946 to 1979 at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, now the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Norway and the largest in terms of enrollment. The university's headquarters is located in Trondheim (city), Trondheim, with region ...

Gløshaugen Gløshaugen is a neighborhood in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the borough of Lerkendal, approximately southeast of Midtbyen in Trondheim Municipality, the downtown center of Trondheim. It is situated ea ...

. He also served as associate professor at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

from 1948 to 1949. Wergeland participated in the foundation of

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in Meyrin, western suburb of Gene ...

and was a leading member of Pugwash in Norway. He served as praeses of the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (, DKNVS) is a Norway, Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The society's Protector is King Harald V of ...

from 1958 to 1965. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

from 1943, the

Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters ({{Langx, da, Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab or ''Videnskabernes Selskab'') is a Danish academy of science. The Royal Danish Academy was established on 13 November 1742, and was create ...

from 1964 and the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting nat ...

. He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 1960 and received the

Gunnerus Medal The Gunnerus Medal () is a medal awarded by the learned society Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. It was inaugurated in 1927, and named after Johan Ernst Gunnerus, founder of the learned society. Members of the learned society are e ...

in 1970.

References

External links

The family tree of Harald Wergeland on Geni.com
1912 births 1987 deaths Norwegian chemical engineers Norwegian physicists Norwegian Institute of Technology alumni Academic staff of the Norwegian Institute of Technology Norwegian expatriates in the United States Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters Members of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters People associated with CERN {{Norway-academic-bio-stub