Heidelberg Nobel Prize Winners

Home , Albrecht Kossel, Bert Sakmann, Carl Bosch, Friedrich Bergius, Georg Wittig, Karl Ziegler

Christoph Mager

bert Bunsen in Heidelberg and Hermann thesising fuel from carbon liquefi ed at The Nobel Prize von Helmholtz in Berlin. After spend- high temperatures and pressures. After ing time in Breslau (Wrocław) and Kiel, studying under the Nobel Prize winners The Nobel Prize is the world’s most fa- he was appointed professor at the De- Walter Nernst and Fritz Haber, in the mous and most coveted award. Founded by the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel partment of Physics and Radiology in 1920s Bergius set up a carbon chemistry (1833-1895), since 1901 the prizes have Heidelberg, where he remained until his laboratory in the vicinity of BASF in been awarded in the fi ve categories che- retirement in 1931 . From around Ludwigshafen. The award winning mistry, physiology or medicine, physics, li- 1908, with his “Deutsche Physik” he work of Carl Bosch was the implemen- terature, and peace. According to Nobel’s openly opposed modern theoretical tation of the high pressure synthesis of testament wishes, the prize is to be awar- work, such as that of Albert Einstein, ammonia, which is used as the basis of ded annually to the person “who, during which he condemned as “Jewish”. After fertiliser and explosives. After his doc- the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefi t on mankind.“ In World War II, his involvement in Na- torate in 1899 he moved to BASF awarding the Nobel Prizes “no considera- tional Socialism was not punished on where he gradually withdrew from ac- tion whatever shall be given to the natio- the grounds of his age. tive scientifi c work and instead worked nality of the candidates“. In 1968, in me- In 1932 the nuclear physicist Walther in business and research organisation. mory of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish Natio- Bothe succeeded Lenard as director of In 1919 he became managing director nal Bank founded a further prize in the the Department of Physics in Heidel- of BASF and in 1937 he succeeded Max category economics, which was fi rst berg. For political reasons, in 1934 he Planck as president of the Kaiser Wil- awarded in 1969. Up until 2009, a total of 803 individuals and 23 institutions had had to leave the university, and was ap- helm Society. received Nobel Prizes for outstanding pointed director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Karl Ziegler also received his Nobel achievements. Institute for Medical Research (KWI) Prize in 1963 for research that could be in Heidelberg by Max Planck. The lat- applied to large scale industry. At the ter had been his doctoral advisor in universities in Marburg, Heidelberg discovery opened up new application Berlin, was president of the Kaiser Wil- (1926-1936) and Halle as well as the possibilities for plastics and marked the helm Society, and had won the Nobel KWI for Carbon Research in Mülheim, start of the plastic era. Harald zur Hausen at the awarding of the Prize himself in 1918. In 1946 Bothe he discovered various organometallic The Austrian Richard Kuhn did his Nobel Prize in Medicine 2008 was reinstated as a professor at Heidel- catalysts that could be used to help doctorate under Richard Willstätter berg University. In 1954 Bothe shared control carbon chain reactions. This (1872-1942), the 1915 Nobel Prize the Nobel Prize in Physics with Max Along with Berlin, Munich and Göt- Born for his work on cosmic radiation tingen, Heidelberg is one of the major and nuclear processes, which during Portraits of Heidelberg Nobel Prize winners places of work for German Nobel Prize World War II led him to work on the winners. Between 1901 and 2009 there German nuclear research programme. Nobel Prize in Physics were a total of ten Nobel Prize winners Hans Jensen studied and did his doc- working as professors at Heidelberg torate and post-doctoral degrees at the University. At the time of the award, university in his home town of Ham- seven professors were working in Hei- burg, before moving to Hanover (Han- delberg; two came to Heidelberg after nover). From 1949 to his retirement in the award, and one left Heidelberg be- 1969 he was professor of theoretical fore receiving the honour. Two further physics at Heidelberg University. He Nobel Prize winners, the industrialists was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics Friedrich Bergius and Carl Bosch, were in 1963 together with Maria Goeppert- Philipp Lenard Walther Bothe Hans Jensen (1862 - 1947) (1891 - 1957) (1907 - 1973) living in Heidelberg when they were Mayer for the proposal of the nuclear awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry shell model of atoms. In the early 1950s Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1931 and were associated with Hei- he was visiting professor at various elite delberg University for many years as universities in the USA known for their honorary doctor and honorary senator large number of Nobel Prize winners . A further 15 Nobel Prize winners and nominees (ĪĪ article Horner). were as students or in their early academic careers in Heidelberg . Heidelberg Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry Heidelberg Nobel Prize winners in Friedrich Bergius and Carl Bosch were Physics jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Carl Bosch Friedrich Bergius Richard Kuhn Karl Ziegler Georg Wittig Philipp Lenard (ĪĪ article Meusburger/ Chemistry in 1931 for the development (1874 - 1940) (1884 - 1949) (1900 - 1967) (1898 - 1973) (1897 - 1987) Probáld), born in Pozsony/Pressburg (at and industrial scale application of high Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine that time Hungary), received the Nobel pressure chemistry. Both prize winners Prize in 1905 for his work on radiation were businessmen who, in the light of physics. Lenard’s early academic career depleting resources, sought a means of was marked by frequent moves, deter- industrially mass producing raw materi- mined by academic tutors such as Ro- als. Friedrich Bergius succeeded in syn-

Albrecht Kossel Otto Meyerhof Bert Sakmann Harald zur Hausen (1853 - 1927) (1884 - 1951) (* 1942 ) (* 1936 )

250 Wissenschaftsatlas of Heidelberg University

251 Heidelberg Nobel Prize Winners winner in chemistry. After the found- medal and certifi cate in Stockholm un- ing of the KWI for Medical Research til 1949. After the awarding of the 1935 in 1930, Kuhn was appointed director Nobel Peace Prize to the prominent of the Chemistry Department of the pacifi st Carl von Ossietzky, the Nation- KWI and named honorary professor of al Socialist regime prohibited German Heidelberg University. Here he carried academics from accepting Nobel Prizes. out fundamental work on the organic As head of a special research section in chemistry of vitamins and the caroten- chemistry and chemical consultant in oid group of natural pigments for the Reich Research Council the out by the physician Otto Bickenbach “Revocation of Doctorates”). Heidel- which he was awarded the Nobel Prize staunch National Socialist Kuhn knew (phosgene research, ĪĪ article Eckart berg University made him honorary in 1938. He was not able to receive the about fatal human experiments carried “The Medical Faculty Under National full professor in 1949, shortly before Socialism”) in the Natzweiler concen- his death. tration camp, along with the experi- It was not until 1991 that a further No- ments into nutritional research done bel Prize for Medicine came to Heidel- on prisoners. berg. Bert Sakmann, director of the In- Georg Wittig received the Nobel Prize stitute for Cell Physiology at the Max in 1979 for research that he did as pro- Planck Institute (MPI) for Medical Re- fessor at Tübingen University and search and professor of medicine and which he further developed during his biology at Heidelberg University, along time as director of the Chemistry Insti- with his colleague Erwin Neher in Göt- tute in Heidelberg from 1956. With the tingen, was honoured for work on sig- help of the Wittig Reaction, named af- nals between cells. These discoveries ter him, it is possible to carry out tar- have important implications for the un- geted changes to organic molecules and derstanding of disease mechanisms and so to synthesise delicate natural sub- the development of new drugs. In his stances such as vitamin A. The indus- autobiography in the 1991 Nobel Prize trial applications of the reaction were yearbook, Sakmann emphasised the im- developed in close co-operation with portance of the Max Planck Society, BASF with Wittig as advisor. which provided him with excellent working conditions in its institutes in Heidelberg Nobel Prize winners in Munich, Göttingen, and Heidelberg. A Medicine post-doctoral stay at University College In 1910 the Nobel Prize in medicine London from 1970 to 1973 brought was awarded to Albrecht Kossel for his Sakmann into contact with biophysi- work on the nature of the cell and the cist Sir Bernard Katz, winner of the associated fundamental knowledge of Nobel Prize in 1970. the hereditary process. In Berlin and Harald zur Hausen won the Nobel Marburg at the end of the 19th century Prize in Medicine in 2008 for his dis- Kossel developed reliable methods of covery of the human papillomaviruses isolating, purifying, and analysing cell as a cause of cervical cancer. After aca- nuclei. From 1901 until his retirement demic stays in Düsseldorf, Philadelphia, in 1924 he was director of the Institute Würzburg, Erlangen, and Freiburg, zur of Physiology at Heidelberg University Hausen was chairman and scientifi c di- (ĪĪ article Schafmeier et al.). rector of the German Cancer Research The physiologist Otto Meyerhof’s Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg from work is considered groundbreaking in 1983 to 2003. During this time, the in- biochemistry. After studying in stitution intensifi ed its contact with Freiburg, Strasbourg, Berlin, and Hei- Heidelberg University and expanded to delberg he did his doctorate in 1910 and become one of the world’s leading can- then became assistant under Ludolf cer research institutes. From 1988 zur Krehl at Heidelberg Medical Hospital Hausen was honorary professor at Hei- (ĪĪ article Eckart “Anthropological delberg University. Medicine”). In 1912 Meyerhof moved to Kiel to do his post-doctoral degree and Heidelberg as a step on the way to a to continue his work on the function- Nobel Prize ing of muscles, for which he was award- Social and professional contacts that ed the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1922. are made while studying, doing a doc- To prevent Meyerhof emigrating to the torate, as an assistant or as professor are USA, in 1924 he was appointed to the a decisive factor in scientifi c discover- KWI for Biology in Berlin and in 1929 ies. An inspirational academic environ- to the newly founded KWI for Medical ment infl uences research fi ndings, just Research in Heidelberg. After his as the standard of equipment in a place teaching licence was taken away in is a requirement for the performance of 1935 on the grounds of his Jewish an- certain scientifi c experiments. Institu- cestry, he fl ed via Switzerland and Paris tional settings and location specifi c to the United States, where he was ap- forms of organisation are part of crea- pointed professor of physiological tive environments in which outstand- chemistry at the University of Pennsyl- ing scientifi c achievements can be vania (ĪĪ articles Mußgnug and Moritz made.

252 Wissenschaftsatlas of Heidelberg University Heidelberg’s twelve laureates along with attracted students and young scientists the 14 Nobel Prize winners who have from all over Europe and the USA. The taught and researched there bear wit- Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry or ness to the fact that Heidelberg has just Physics from 1904, 1905, 1907, 1913, such a creative environment, which at- 1914, 1918, and 1925 had spent time at tracts academics . For example, Ru- Heidelberg University. In addition there dolf Mößbauer (Nobel Prize 1961) and are further Nobel Prize winners who Wolfgang Ketterle (Nobel Prize 2001), have other biographical connections who was born in Heidelberg, were post- with Heidelberg or are connected to the doctorates at Heidelberg Institute for city or university through honours. A Physics where they spent important total of ten external and three Heidel- years of their research careers. Four for- berg Nobel Prize winners were awarded eign Nobel Prize winners of the 1950s honorary doctorates from Heidelberg and 1960s worked at Otto Meyerhof’s University. Amongst those from outside Heidelberg Institute early during their Heidelberg were the German physician careers. Meyerhof himself met Otto Robert Koch (honorary doctorate Warburg (Nobel Prize 1931) in Heidel- 1886), the German chemist Adolf von berg at the start of the 20th century . Baeyer (1886), the Scottish chemist Sir From 1978 to 1981 Christiane Nüsslein- William Ramsay (1903), the Swedish Volhard and Eric Wieschaus were re- chemist Svante Arrhenius (1903), who search group leaders at the European was infl uential on the Nobel commit- Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) tee, the Dutch chemist Jacobus van’t at Boxberg in Heidelberg where they Hoff (1908), the Argentinean foreign made their fundamental fi ndings on ge- minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner netic control of early embryonic devel- Carlos Saavedra Lamas (1936), the Ger- opment, for which they won the Nobel man-American physicist James Franck Prize in Medicine in 1995 . (1957), the German chemist Karl Zieg- ler (1958), and the German-American Establishing and maintaining physicist Hans Dehmelt (1986). Carl academic contacts in Heidelberg Bosch was made honorary senator of Map shows the work places of all the University in 1922.ͷ Nobel Prize winners who did their doctorates in Heidelberg or studied there. These include, in the humanities, Charles Gobat from Switzerland (Nobel Peace Prize 1902) and Carl Spitteler (Nobel Prize in Literature 1919). In the natural sciences, the infl uence of outstanding, individual scientists such as Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff

Nobel Prize winners as ambassa- dors for Heidelberg The awarding of a Nobel Prize is, for the recipient, associated with worldwide re- cognition of academic achievement. It ensures lasting public respect from repre- sentatives of the discipline, an increased chance to exert academic political inﬂ u- ence and prestige. After being awarded a Nobel Prize, the winners are, more than ever, in the public limelight and are con- fronted with numerous requests for do- nations, interviews and lectures. The geo- graphical activity pattern of a Nobel Prize winner is presented in using the example of Harald zur Hausen, who after his award used numerous occasions all over the world to promote his specialist ﬁ eld of molecular virology and to repre- sent Heidelberg City and University.

253 Heidelberg Nobel Prize Winners